Dragon Curse
by Syrisna
Summary: A neighboring kingdom has turned into a ghost country. Their king and father is ill and on the verge of death. Desperate to find a cure for the apparently incurable sickness, the siblings of the Whitebeard Royal Family seek aid from a mercenary group, placing their last hopes in them. Will the king perish, or will the mercenaries prove to be the miracle that sets everything right?
1. Royals and Mercenaries

I know I ought to be working on **Be My Songbird** and **ReunionS** , but I really had to get this out. It's been floating around for almost as long as BMS, but I never got around to actually writing it until after my finals. (To be honest, I only started writing this to pass time in school where phones are strictly prohibited...)

Anyways, contrary to my other stories, this one is set in a Fantasy Au, where magic exists but devil fruits don't. Everything concerning this story was created entirely on my own, but if some parts are similar to other stories, it's by pure coincidence. I wouldn't take someone's idea without asking. And if I did by accident...well, you can just let me know.

Beta'd by **AlternateMirai** , who has written some pretty nice stories. Personally, I like 'Hold Me Close' the most.

Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine. This story, yes. Characters, no.

Note: _Morsky_ is _slovakian_ for 'sea'.

 **Anyways, I'd love if you could drop a review and let me know what you think of it. Read this and continue on. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

For several months now, the kingdom of Morsky had been blighted by an unknown plague that was unidentifiable. Afraid for their lives, many escaped to their only neighboring kingdom, the Whitebeard Empire. However, even there, the people were not safe from the contagion. As time went by, it rapidly spread through the country and took the lives of many. The situation worsened the closer it got to the Morskian capital, Marineford.

Sengoku slumped in his throne, looking more defeated than ever. Him and his advisor, Sakazuki...they were the only ones left in this accursed place. His subjects, his friends and family… everyone -even those he hadn't known- were gone… Everyone, except one of his most trusted people. Beside him, Sakazuki's breathing quickened, growing shallower with every breath. The king knew it wouldn't be much longer until he was the only one left. Time ticked by slowly, and soon all that he could hear was the stagnant silence of his palace and his own breathing. Sakazuki had passed a while ago, body limp against the throne.

Aghast, Sengoku buried his head in his hands, feeling an unfamiliar wetness seep through his fingers. Whatever had he done to deserve this...this utter devastation? The loss of his people, the ruin of his kingdom...what had caused them? The king slowly lost strength, his body growing heavier, his breath shallower. He knew his time was near. His eyelids felt like lead, falling close involuntarily despite his best efforts to keep them open. His consciousness was clouded by fear and despair.

In the haziness of his mind, Sengoku thought he saw a pair of silver eyes tinted with red, and shuddered uncontrollably. In that instant, intense fear welled up inside him, a fear not unlike those of a prey being hunted by predators. Then, everything went blank, and the king, head still cradled in his hands, fell off his throne to join his people, sprawled across the cold marble in the vast throne room.

* * *

Two months, that's how much time had passed since the sovereignty of Morsky fell to ruin, completely annihilated without a single survivor. One and a half month since Edward Newgate, king of the Whitebeard Empire fell ill. Twelve days since their king fell into a coma.

Inside the palace council room, the royal family of the empire and a few close associates watched on in a strained silence as the crown prince paced restlessly at the front of the room.

"Father has been in a coma for twelve days, and only now you let me know?! If I hadn't run into Kureha's apprentice, were you guys ever planning on telling me?!" he yelled. Those present exchanged an uneasy glance. When Whitebeard had first fallen ill, no one had given it much thought, thinking it was just a regular sickness. The king was getting in on the ages after all— it was normal if he fell sick once or twice. But instead of recovering, his condition slowly deteriorated despite all the medications. Gradually, nothing the doctors did worked anymore and the Whitebeard patriarch fell into a coma. The entirety of the royal family had been updated on their patriarch's condition except for Marco, but to be fair, it couldn't be helped. Ever since Whitebeard fell ill, Marco had taken over the full responsibilities of running the kingdom, and had since been so busy his brothers and sister rarely saw him outside of meetings anymore. He had even started eating in his office, just so he could get his work done quicker. On more than one occasion they had found him fast asleep in his office, slumped on the desk in a position that was sure to cause discomfort in his neck and shoulders when they went to look for him in the morning. Not wanting to stress their sibling more than he could handle, they decided unanimously to withhold information concerning the king from him and act on their own, even though they knew he would be angry with them for it. They had all seen the dark circles underneath his eyes, and they could tell how tired their brother was. Taking advice from one of their associates, the royal family sent out a request for Kureha, a famous witch doctor known for her genius in the medical field who lived on the Empire's eastern border at the foot of the Red Mountains. That had been several days after Whitebeard fell into a coma.

Receiving the summon two days later, Kureha had immediately set out towards the capital, boarding the carriage the castle had sent along with the messenger.

Kureha arrived within two days together with her apprentice Chopper and was immediately brought to the king. Marco had been in a meeting with the officials, and so was unaware of her presence at the castle. It was only until this morning when Chopper had accidentally run into Marco in the corridor that Whitebeard's condition was revealed to Marco. As expected, the crown prince was pissed beyond reason, and was even more so when Kureha casually dropped news akin to a bomb - she too had nothing she could do for their father.

"Your highness…" a smooth voice spoke, breaking the prince's rant. Marco paused to look at her, impatience clear in his azure eyes.

"What is it?" he snapped, glaring at a dark haired woman who was sitting a few seats away. The woman pursed her lips as if hesitating, before speaking again.

"Please calm down. Getting worked up now will not help his Majesty's condition."

It would've been better if Marco had gotten angry. But he didn't, instead he slumped back down in his seat in an image of utter defeat. The silence returned, heavier than before. It was clear when Marco didn't say anymore that he was despairing over the inevitable loss of their father. His face was buried in his hands. Hidden away from everyone else, but they could tell all the same. However, because of this, he missed the small exchange between the youngest prince, Haruta and the woman who spoke, Robin. Robin was the royal historian who had very close ties with the family, and was thus included in this meeting.

"Doctor Kureha might not have been able to cure the king," Robin spoke after she was sure that Marco had calmed down enough to listen, "However, a while before we met, her apprentice, Chopper, sought me out to convey a message to us: 'In this capital, there is someone who may be the answer to our problem."

The reaction was immediate. Sitting up straight, Marco asked the historian desperately, his eyes fixed sharply on her, "Who?"

In answer to the crown prince's question, the youngest prince, Haruta, stood up and slid a piece of paper towards his brother. On the paper, there was a symbol that most of the people present were familiar with. A silhouette of a dragon engulfed in flames - the symbol of the Dragon's Fury, a small, independant group of elite mercenaries well-known within the empire.

Thatch, the fourth prince and pseudo head chef of the castle snorted skeptically. "How would a mercenary group be of any help?" At this, everyone else sent varying but similar looks of disbelief towards the youngest prince. Apparently, they too had the same thoughts as Thatch did. How exactly would some mercenaries be the answer to their problems?

Haruta rolled his eyes at the ignorance of his older brother and explained in an exasperated tone. "To be exact, the one we're looking for is Sabo, the leader. I'm sure we're all aware of this, but the Dragon's Fury is arguably one of the strongest group amongst mercenaries everywhere. And generally speaking, mercenaries that strong are also the ones who have the most resources and connections. Although not much is known about them except that they are freelancers and this Sabo is a young, blonde man who is very picky about jobs- " he looked around the room, as if to make sure everyone was still paying attention, "-their abilities are nothing to laugh at. Their rate of completion is extremely high -practically perfect, and Sabo was also named as the top three mercenary leaders along with Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kidd."

"Who's the other two?" someone asked, receiving another eye roll from the youngest prince.

"Law and Kidd are respectively the leaders of the Heart Doctors and the Crimson Kid, two other independent groups situated on the other side of the Red Mountains."

"So… " Marco started, lacing his fingers together as he always did when he was in thought. "You're saying that this Sabo might be our only option now?" He clarified.

Haruta shook his head, answering, "No, if Kureha is to be believed, he is our only option at the moment."

"But if much is unknown about them, how are we supposed to contact them?" one of the associates, a duchess called Whitey Bay, pointed out. It was an expected question, and fortunately, also one whose answer Robin was already in possession of.

Pulling out a neatly sealed envelope out of someplace, the royal historian held it up for all to see.

"As luck would have it, along with the information, Doctor Kureha also presented to us the means to make contact with the Dragon's Fury. According to Chopper, this here is a letter of introduction to Miss Koala of the Sun Arena. Apparently, she is an acquaintance of theirs and can help us contact them."

"I see… " Marco leaned back into his seat, looking visibly relieved that there was still hope for their father. "I guess for now, we have no choice but to wait and hope these people can provide us a solution." He then turned towards his youngest brother. "Haruta, I'm entrusting this matter to you."

"Understood," Haruta replied with a mock-salute, eliciting snickers and muffled laughter from everyone in the room. Even Marco managed to crack a smile.

The atmosphere in the room lightened for a minute, before the crown prince mercilessly shattered it.

"As for the rest of you, get back to work. The Solstice Festival is in two weeks and there is still plenty work undone. Even if Pops is sick, it's still no excuse to skimp on the festival."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

In a vast forest a few miles south of the Empire's capital, four figures moved swiftly amidst the dense vegetation, casually disregarding any obstacles that hindered them. If it wasn't for the scenery that surrounded them, one might have thought that they were on an open plain instead of a forest. At first sight, the thought that came to mind was that they were being chased, but the way they moved spoke more of being the hunters rather than the hunted. Not to mention, upon closer inspection… The present situation was impossibly absurd.

"Meat!"

"Luffy goddamnit! We just had lunch!"

"Shut up, Curly Brow! You're noisy!"

"Just give up, snack time hit a few minutes ago."

"Gahhhh! Where the hell does all those food even go?! And don't actually answer! It's rhetorical!"

It turned out what had actually happened was that one of the figures, a short black-haired teen had caught sight of a wild boar a little ways away just as his stomach started feeling empty. With such 'delicacy' in front of him, the teen promptly answered to his body's desire and gave chase to the boar, who had sensed a dangerous presence and fled. As a result, the other three figures were forced to chase after their comrade, which subsequently resulted in the above conversation.

"Gotcha! Sanji, food!"

"Will we ever make it back by the end of the week…?"

"Tch, who cares? t's not like it's the first time we were late anyway."

"...Even if it means that our pay will be cut and you won't have enough money for booze?"

"That's…"

"Including the Sunwheat Wine that's specially brewed for the Solstice Festival?"

"…Luffy! Finish that, now!"

"But Sanji hasn't cooked it yet!"

"Like that's a problem?! You eat things raw all the time!"

"Please don't. Even if he can eat them raw, it's still gross seeing that sight. Not to mention it's a potential health hazard."

And now, his to-be-meal in hand, the teen, Luffy, immediately brought it over to the small clearing where the others had stopped to set up a campfire the moment they saw the boar go down. Resignedly, Sanji, a blonde whose hair covered half of his face took the boar that the teen handed over and set to work cutting it into smaller slabs so it would be easier to cook and removing the ligaments and tendons. At least, the skinning and gutting had already been taken care off so that was less work for him. That was pretty much the only thing Luffy was good for. Well, that and eating.

The four young men sat around the fire that had been built as Sanji carefully cooked the meat. Next to him, a tan-skinned man with green hair yawned loudly and pulled out the swords strapped to his side along with polish tools from his bag. Another man with curly blonde hair was studying a map and muttering to himself while keeping a grip on Luffy's shirt who was staring at the food and drooling.

Making sure that the meat was cooked enough, Sanji opened his bag and brought out a pouch that had many small jars that contained salt, pepper and various herbs and spices. Selecting a few from the pouch, he sprinkled them over the meat and left it to continue cooking as he washed his hand with water from one of his canteens.

Lighting a cigarette, Sanji looked at the blonde opposite him… "So, how much longer till we're out of this forest?"

The man glanced at Sanji once before returning to his map. "At the rate we're going…two days, I guess. Three at most."

The younger blonde leaned back, his hands supporting his weight. "Three days, huh? About a week before the Solstice Festival then." At mention about the upcoming festival, all four of them broke into matching grins.

The Solstice Festival was a week long annual event held in the Whitebeard Kingdom which ended on the day of the summer solstice. The festival was held in celebration of the founding of the kingdom which was over 50 years ago. With countless activities going on, it was a well known festival across the land and many people from other kingdoms made the journey just to see the festival. It was one of the few things they looked forward to.

Unfortunately, for the last two years, they hadn't been able to attend the festival due to work, which coincidentally clashed with the period the festival was held. Thus, they were all really happy that they would get to participate in the festival this year.

"Craww!" A sharp cry suddenly echoed through the forest and a dark blur zoomed towards the older blonde who seemed impervious to the impending danger.

"Stormie!" A pair of hands shot up and easily grabbed it, revealing the blur to be a black and brown falcon about the size of a small cat. The bird screeched and flapped its wings frantically, trying to get away from its laughing captor.

"Luffy, let Storm go," the blonde man tightened his grip on Luffy's collar and reprimanded lightly, his eyes locking onto the cylinder strapped to its back. "He has a letter."

"Aww…but Sabo…"

"No."

"I haven't even said anything."

"My answer would still be 'no' even if you did."

Luffy pouted and turned towards the green haired man. "Zoroooooo~" he called, purposely dragging out the last syllable. The childish tone got on Zoro's nerves easily, making him cave quickly to Luffy's whims. Although it seemed that this time around, Zoro decided that it was a bit too troublesome to grapple with Sabo for the bird, for various reasons.

"Just give your brother the bird, Luffy," Zoro replied, willfully ignoring Luffy's pleading voice. Sanji was naturally immune -also for various reasons- and simply told him to go eat his meat, noting with a sidelong glance that the meat was done. Once food was mentioned, the falcon was immediately freed and forgotten. It clearly showed how much it weighed against food in Luffy's mind.

"Sorry Storm." Sabo smiled, softly petting the bird. "What've you got for me?" Storm cawed happily and turned around, allowing the blonde to retrieve the letter. Storm was a messenger bird and was frequently used to deliver messages back and forth across large distances due to its great airspeed. When it wasn't sent off on a delivery, it remained with Sabo and the group, accompanying them on their travels. It should be noted however, that even though Storm was a 'messenger bird', it was also an incredible hunter of the sky, just as it's species name suggested. Anyway, when they'd successfully completed their last job, the mercenary leader had sent the bird back to the capital ahead of them to notify a friend of their return.

Unfurling the rolled up parchment, Sabo quickly scanned the short note from Koala, the aforementioned friend of theirs who lived in the capital. As his gaze moved down, he gained a weird look on his face, which inadvertently drew the attention of his comrades.

"What's it say?" Sanji asked, his cigarette held between two fingers as he breathed out the smoke. Sabo's reaction to the letter sparked his curiosity and he wondered just what was written in the note to cause this kind of reaction. Maybe Koala got a boyfriend? They all knew -even Luffy- that Sabo had feelings for her, but the man himself would adamantly deny anything of the sort every time the topic was brought up. Sometimes Sanji thought that Koala herself would probably notice their leader's feelings for her before the person in question, although it was quite unlikely, seeing that she was about as dense as Sabo in the relationship sector.

"Koala told us to get back to the capital as fast as possible."

"What? Why?"

"Apparently, there's some kind of emergency in the capital and certain someones have asked for us. Koala says that they had a introduction letter from Kureha."

"Are we taking it?" Sanji wasn't sure if he heard wrong, but there was something about the way Sabo spoke just now, like there was another meaning behind it, but with their leader's sarcastic personality he wouldn't be surprised if there was.

"Not yet. I'll wait till I know more before I decide." Sabo replied.

"Who's the client?" Zoro asked, cracking open an eye.

Though they were rather famous in their line of work, they didn't receive jobs often. Mainly because Sabo, who despite his easy going personality, was surprisingly choosy about certain things, in this case: the jobs they accepted. Picky nitpicker that he was, Sabo wouldn't accept anything beneath an A-rank job, which usually involved extensive travel to various remote -and considerably dangerous- locations. Furthermore, he only accepted jobs from clients who personally sought them out, as a result, the jobs they did accept tended to be dangerous and took long periods of time. That being said, what they did accept had payment high enough to last them a while. It helped that they all had a secondary job back in the capital. Sort of. Sanji wasn't even sure if what they had could actually count as a job. At least they get paid.

"The royal family."

"…come again?"

"You know, the Whitebeard Royal family? The people who rule the empire?"

…

The trip back to the capital was uneventful for the most part. After Luffy finished his meal, the four men immediately set off towards the capital. Two days later, they exited the forest and headed towards the nearby village, Foosha, where they had left their horses in the care of the villagers. Another two days later, Sabo, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji found themselves walking through the streets of Phoenix, the Whitebeard Empire's capital city. In the afternoon bustle, they could see the citizens rushing about in preparation for the upcoming festival which was a week away.

"I'm so glad we made it back early this time," Sanji said as he looked around and whistled appreciatively. "It would've been a pity to miss all this."

The mercenaries walked through downtown with their horses trotting behind them, heading towards the northern sector of the city, where the average townsfolk lived. The east was where the palace was located along with the residencies of the kingdom's officers, the west was the harbour and the south was where businesses and the like were conducted.

"It would have," Sabo replied, the only other intellectual person in their little group besides their chef. "I wonder what this year's theme is."

The younger blonde shrugged. The preparations were still underway and those were only the decorations. It was near impossible to tell anything from it.

"Luffy, Zoro, can you two take care of visiting… the… client..." Turning back towards the rest of his comrades, Sabo asked, only to find the space where the two previously occupied vacant, except for their horses which were staring back at him.

"Did you really expect them to be there?" Sanji snorted. "They ran off to Shakky's place when we passed by just now."

"Of course they did," Sabo sighed. He shouldn't have even bothered asking. No doubt all other thoughts that didn't involve food and booze had slipped the mind of those two as soon as they entered the city.

"I don't suppose they have any money on them?" Sabo asked out of habit, though he was quite sure what the answer would be.

"No."

"Why am I not surprised."

"Well, count ourselves lucky that it's Shakky's place instead of some other place then. At least she won't come chasing after us for their debt as long as it's settled before we leave again."

"True that. Anyway, I'm going to head over to the client's place and get our payment first. You wanna come with or do you want to go ahead to the arena?"

"I'll come with you."

Half an hour later, after they visited their client who lived near the city center and received their payment for the job, the duo passed through the northern sector towards the edge of the sector where a large building stood.

The building was fenced in behind a sand-coloured wall, the only opening being where huge metal gates stood, a brass plaque hanging above it announced the building's identity-The Sun Arena. The Sun Arena -it was called an arena, but was really more of a coliseum- was a renowned martial arts training facility in the Whitebeard Empire that doubled as an arena to host competitions.

Originally, it had started out as a foster home for orphans. The orphans were taken in by the founders, two retired soldiers of the royal army by the name of Tiger and Jinbe. As the orphans grew up, they were taught martial arts by the founders, who were both famous for their combat prowess back in the army.

Those children grew up, and some joined the army or became mercenaries while some stayed behind in the capital, living peaceful lives. They had all separated, each living different lives, but the one thing they had in common was the martial arts that Jinbe and Tiger had taught them. Through many events of different kinds, their exceptional combat skills drew attention and suddenly, Jinbe and Tiger found themselves receiving large amounts of requests to teach. This in turn drew the attention of the king, whom Jinbe was on good terms with. After a long period of debation with the king, Jinbe and Tiger decided to convert the foster home into a martial arts school with full support from the empire. They still took orphans in, but at the same time, they also hosted classes that were open to the public.

Many years later, the school had grown considerably, and with the king's consent, it was expanded to become the present day arena, with an agreement to serve the empire as a special, separated faction in the military. At that point, many of the orphans who were taken in grew up to become part of the staff, or for some who were exceptional at combat, one of the trainers. Such was the case for their friend Koala, who was one of Tiger's top students and since a few years ago, part of the arena's top brass. As they approached, she could be seen standing at the main entrance, hands planted firmly on her hips. A side effect of her standing there was that the two arena guards on either side were stiff to the point that Sabo wondered if their muscles would cramp the moment they relaxed. The expression Koala wore was one of impatience, and the two men dreaded what was coming. Koala never pulled her punches.

To their surprise however, that expression melted off her face as soon as she saw them, and the petite brunette proceeded to launch herself at the mercenaries, enveloping them in a bone-crushing hug.

"Sabo! Sanji! You're finally back!" Koala cried, sounding equally relieved and anxious.

"K-koala...can't breathe…" Sabo gasped, straining to take in air. Sanji was in the same predicament. If he hadn't, he'd have been doing his heart-eyes already, something that his leader found amusing at other times but incredibly annoyed when it was directed at Koala.

"Sorry," Koala apologized as she released them. "And Luffy and Zoro are at Shakky's again, as usual." It wasn't even a question.

Koala thought she ought to be offended that the two hadn't even bothered to come, but then again, having known the group for several years now, she knew better than to get angry at minor issues like this.

It was too troublesome to get angry at idiots, not to mention tiring.

"Come on in," she beckoned to the two blondes as she turned on her heels and entered the building. "Your guest has been waiting for quite a while now."

Koala explained the situation as she led them to one of the many waiting rooms the Arena provided.

"A week ago, one of the princes came to me, asking if I could contact you guys for him. At first, I was going to refuse, I mean, I didn't even know where you were? How was I supposed to contact you? And then he pulled out a letter, said it was from Kureha. I was skeptical at first, since we all know how stingy she is with these things. But the letter was authentic. According to the explanation he gave me, they encountered a very serious illness that even Kureha couldn't cure, so she directed them to you. I was going to send Miaru to you, but then Storm arrived, so I just wrote you that letter and sent it back. I've told him that you guys wouldn't be back until today, but he still came for the last few days. Every day, he'd come here and wait for the entire day, no matter what we said to him."

"Which prince?" Sanji asked as he listed down the names of the princes in his head, wondering which prince Koala was talking about. "All you mentioned in the letter was that the request was from the palace."

"Well… why don't you see for yourself?"

Stopping outside a door, she pushed it open and stepped aside to let Sabo and Sanji through before closing the door behind her. Inside, a young man with short brown hair in green and white attire was pacing back and forth restlessly, muttering incoherently under his breath.

It appeared that the man did not notice he had company, Sabo thought wryly as he took note of his appearance. The man's entire demeanor suggested an immense inner turmoil. Looking at him, an uneasy feeling started growing in Sabo's gut. He knew this man, and combined with the letter from Koala and the man's current display, he was starting to have a really bad feeling about this 'job'.

But that aside, if Sabo wanted information from him, he would have to bring him back to reality first.

Just as he was about to call out, Koala beat him to it.

"Prince Haruta, please stop pacing. You'll wear a groove in the floor if you keep it up, you know?" Koala called out with an exasperated tone. Obviously, this wasn't the first time she had had to stop him.

"Huh?" The young man halted abruptly as his attention returned to the real world, only just noticing that there were others in the room. "Eh?"

Sighing inward at the unintelligence the prince displayed by accident, Sanji stepped out from behind Sabo and raised a hand in a casual greeting.

"It's been a while, Haruta," Sanji continued, ignorant of the inquiring looks both Koala and Sabo were shooting his way concerning his lack of formality.

Haruta momentarily blanked out before he blinked and recognized the person speaking to him.

"Sanji?!" The shock was evident in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

At that moment, the only female present interrupted. "Hold on a minute, do you two know each other?" she asked, attention flitting from one to the other.

"Kind of," The chef exhaled, breathing out a trail of smoke as he explained. "I used to work in the palace with my adoptive father until the shitty geezer kicked me out two years ago." Everything after that, was, as they say, history.

The last part caught Sabo's interest. "Kicked out?"

"Yeah. Basically, he said I was getting in his way, and tossed me out the gates, luggage and all."

"Zeff's a little crazy sometimes." On the side, Haruta nodded in agreement, apparently aware of what this Zeff person -who was apparently Sanji's dad- was like.

"I see." Sabo cleared his throat. "Anyway, let's leave the catching up for later, shall we? Prince Haruta?" The latter question was directed to the brown-haired man. When the mercenary received a nod in reply, he withdrew a slightly crumpled letter from his pockets. "I believe you have asked for our service?"

"I did?" The prince took a moment to catch up to reality. "Wait...YOU'RE the Dragon's Fury?"

"In flesh and blood." Sabo extended a hand in a friendly invitation. "I'm Sabo, leader of the Dragon's Fury."

"Pleasure to meet you," Haruta returned the greeting. "I've heard that you're the best at your work."

"You flatter us. I wouldn't say 'the best', but we are pretty good, if I may say so myself. Anyway, if you'd kindly state your business…?" Sabo smiled good-naturedly as they sat down on the sofas in the room while Koala quickly brought over four cups of tea before sitting down next to Haruta.

Expression turning stony, the prince dug in his pocket, fishing out a folded note from one of them.

"We want information about an illness." He handed the paper to Sabo. "I wrote down all the symptoms that we know of… there isn't a lot, unfortunately."

"An illness?" _Now that's weird. If I remember…_ the mercenary leader was rather confused. Why would Kureha ask the princes to seek him out? He was no expert at medicine. A quick glance at the paper in his hand had Sabo reading the first line repeatedly. 'Suddenly decline in health'? Feeling even more confused, Sabo looked up to meet Haruta's eyes.

"Pardon me, but wouldn't Doctor Kureha be better suited for this? She is a doctor, after all."

"Yes, she would. Unfortunately, we've sought her out before we contacted you, and she's as helpless as we are. We were hoping you might have come across such an illness before, and perhaps know of a cure."

Sabo scanned the list again. Something nagged at the back of his mind, something that told him he had seen similar symptoms before somewhere, but he didn't want to get Haruta's hopes up.

The list was handed back to the prince, along with an unreadable expression on Sabo's side.

"I'll be honest with you, Prince Haruta. I might know of something with symptoms that match what you gave me, but I won't know for sure unless I see it for myself. Who's the patient?"

"The king," Koala and Haruta replied simultaneously.

Sanji and Sabo had vastly different reactions.

 _Are you kidding me_ _?!_ This was Sabo.

"The old man is sick?!" And this was Sanji.

The prince nodded and told them the circumstances regarding the king, how his health had been deteriorating for the past two months and how they've been doing everything they could. At the end, he also told them how the doctors had said that their father wouldn't last much longer, hence their seeking out the mercenaries. It was a last, desperate resort in hopes of saving the king.

It took longer than Sabo would've liked as Haruta had had to pause for several instances to gather himself, but then again, the prince was understandably distraught, so Sabo let it slip.

When he finally finished, the mercenary leader looked thoughtful. After a few heartbeats spent in silence, he looked up, his blue eyes meeting Haruta's brown, expectant ones.

Feeling slightly pressured from the expectation, Sabo reminded the prince with a small sigh. "Like I've mentioned before, I can't be sure before I see it with my own eyes. In which case, would your highnesses allow us to visit the palace to see the King?"

"There won't be a problem!" Haruta answered as soon as the words left Sabo's mouth. "If you like, we can head back right now."

"Sure," Sabo said as he rose from his seat. "Koala, we'll leave Briel, Carmen, Ursa and Musashi here, okay?"

"You're not going to ride them?" Koala asked as she nodded in response, while Haruta was looking between them, confusion written clearly on his face.

Sanji and Sabo exchanged a look before grinning simultaneously, earning a groan from the only female amongst them.

She knew that look all too well.

* * *

On the way back to the palace, Haruta found himself in awe of the two mercenaries as he watched them travel across the rooftops from where he was on horseback. Despite the stallion going as fast as it could, the two blondes had no trouble keeping up. In fact, the prince was sure they could definitely outrun him -and his horse- if they chose to. It wasn't the first time the brunette had seen people do it -him and his siblings did it all the time, playing tag across the rooftops of the palace instead of using the corridors like _**normal humans**_ but these two could definitely give them a run for their money.

 _This isn't the time for this!_ Haruta shook his head, returning his focus to the matter at hand. If the mercenaries were fast, all the better then. It meant their Pops would be able to get help more quickly. He only hoped that Sabo and Sanji could actually help. If they couldn't...Haruta didn't know who else his family could turn to.

Haruta snuck another look at the two blondes. Sanji aside, he'd only just met Sabo, but the youngest prince felt that he could trust the man despite not knowing anything about him. He was hardly a trusting person (blindly trusting people was more or less a death flag for people of their status), but Sabo gave off a sort of feeling that simply compelled people to put their trust in him. Haruta supposed that he had to be a man of honour if he could climb to the top of the mercenary society's hierarchy in the short time his group had been active. Not to mention he was on good terms with Kureha. That and Sanji trusted him. The cook had always been a good judge of character, except maybe when it came to the fairer sex.

Haruta eyes narrowed. He'd trust Sabo -for now, at least- but on the slight chance that the mercenary wasn't as trustworthy as he appeared to be…

Well, the Whitebeard siblings were known for their battle prowess.

As they neared the palace grounds, the number of buildings in the vicinity gradually lessened and became more extravagant until they arrived at a gate at the foot of a hill. Sabo and Sanji nimbly leapt down from the roofs, landing on either side of the prince.

The gates were already open, but Haruta turned to address his two companions.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for your other members?" he asked, having heard that there were two other mercenaries who were MIA in the city when Sabo had requested Koala to send someone to find them.

"That won't be necessary," Sabo refused. "However, I'd appreciate it if you could send someone to lead them to the palace, otherwise we may not see them for the next few hours."

Haruta quirked a brow skeptically. "Should I be worried?"

Sanji took a large whiff of his cigarette. "Not really. It just happens that one of our missing comrades is...in better words, directionally challenged. And the other is a moron who has a near nonexistent attention span. So yeah, there's not much to be worried about."

Sarcasm. Plain, obvious, sarcasm. The prince rolled his eyes as he spurred his mount forward.

"Rude as ever." He snorted at the younger blonde who was running alongside him, both him and his leader easily keeping pace. "How'd you end up being a mercenary anyway?"

Cigarette slightly drooping, Sanji looked up at the sky as he reminisced the day he was forcefully 'ejected' from his post. It wasn't exactly one of his brightest days, but something good came out of it at the very least.

"After I left the palace, I went to town, asked around for work. Then I ran into these two idiots who were looking for a cook. They offered me a job, and I took it."

"Actually, Luffy blackmailed him into joining us." On the other side, Sabo helpfully supplied, a bright grin plastered on his face. "He didn't want to join, but Luffy had taken a liking to him, so he threatened to follow Sanji everywhere and keep on pestering him till he joined."

"Then I caved," Sanji finished. "End of story."

"Huh. No wonder we haven't seen you around."

It was a known fact in the palace that two years ago, the royal head chef, Zeff had kicked his adopted son and apprentice out of the palace kitchens. The man had even gone as far as dragging the then teenager along with his measly belongings and throwing them out the gates.

Sanji had taken it hard then, kicking and screaming a colourful fountain of curses, names and various unsavoury terms as he struggled to free himself from his adoptive parent's grip , and had left without saying another word after the man shut the gates with a sharp glare in his direction.

He was never heard from again, and everyone was speculating about the blonde's whereabouts.

The prince was positive no one had expected to find him as part of a mercenary group.

"Everyone will be happy to see you." He said, before remembering a certain person. "Well, maybe not everyone…"

He briefly wondered if the palace's head chef would throw the younger blonde out _**again**_. But Sanji was there for work...so probably not. A _**big**_ 'Probably'.

If he knew Zeff -and he did- he probably wouldn't give two shits about kicking Sanji out. But then again, he wouldn't necessarily do that.

In front of them, the sprawling gardens of the palace came up, and the three raced past it, kicking up a strong breeze that scattered leaves everywhere, earning many indignant cries from the servants in charge of cleaning.

They arrived at a courtyard, where a young woman dressed in a maid's uniform was waiting.

Getting off his horse, Haruta handed the reins to a stable hand as the maid approached them.

"Your highness." She curtsied.

The prince handed her his coat and gestured to the two behind him, expertly ignoring Sanji's eyes which had turned to hearts the moment he laid eyes on the maid while Sabo held him back.

"These two are my guests. Have them freshened, then bring them to Pop's quarters," he instructed and explained to the two confused mercenaries. "I hope you don't mind taking a bath first? The doctors are rather strict about hygiene, especially around Pops."

Receiving affirmative answers, Haruta turned back to Conis. "Two more will be along shortly. Have someone from the guard meet them at the gates, and do the same for them as these two."

"Understood, your highness."

* * *

Half an hour later, Sabo and Sanji were being led through the palace by Conis, squeaky clean and dressed in fresh clothes. On the way, Sanji pointed out various things in the palace to Sabo, who was looking around in awe as it was his first time in the palace. As he was telling his leader about the royal library which they had just passed, Sanji caught Conis sneaking curious glances at the two of them. He decided to change the subject a bit. He had never seen her before when he worked at the palace, so he was sure she'd joined after he'd left.

"So, Conis, how long have you been working at the palace?" Sanji asked curiously, catching the blonde maid by surprise. Realising her actions had been noticed, she blushed furiously. "Just over a year." Conis politely replied despite her obvious fluster. "You are rather well-known in the palace."

"I am?"

"Yes. The prince of the kitchens who is as gallant as a knight." Conis said jokingly. "I have heard many stories about you since I started working here, especially from the kitchen staff. And the other maids are always talking about you. Sometimes Princess Izo laments that she will not be able to help try out your new recipes any longer since you've left the palace."

The blonde cook blushed a deep red, apparently embarrassed by the praise he was receiving from the girl, earning himself a nudge in the ribs and a teasing grin from his boss.

The surrounding chatter gradually diminished as the three blondes neared the king's quarters, which were located on the top floor of the palace's east wing, where all of the royal family's rooms were.

They stopped outside a set of large double doors. Two guards stood on either side, their spears automatically moving to block the door as they approached.

Conis was quick to inform them of her orders, and they were immediately allowed through, though the two mercenaries didn't escape the customary body check -not even Sanji, whom the guards were friends with.

"Their highnesses Prince Haruta, Princess Izo and Lady Nico are waiting inside," Conis said as she knocked on the door to announce their presence.

Receiving an answer, she pushed open one side and stepped aside, allowing for the two behind her to enter.

"Thank you, Conis." Haruta was quick to welcome them in, dressed too in fresh attire.

"My pleasure, your highness." With a light curtsy, the blonde maid retreated from the room, closing the door behind her.

"Woah." _This room is HUGE,_ Sabo thought, his attention stolen by the large room and all the extra-large furniture lying around. Next to him, Sanji had to muffle his laughs as he took in his comrade's reaction to the king's bedroom. It was understandable though, back when Haruta had been adopted into the family, he wore the exact same look of awe the first time he visited the king in his chambers. To most other people, the king was positively huge. Thus, all the king's furniture had to be custom-made to accommodate his large figure.

Haruta led them to the bed in the middle of the room, where two women -one sitting and one standing- with varying lengths of black hair had halted their conversation to regard their guests.

Haruta introduced the woman who was as his sister, the sole princess Izo and the other as the royal historian, Nico Robin. The historian simply inclined her head in way of greeting, while the princess had a much warmer welcome. Though Sanji received hugs from them and a 'welcome back' instead of a handshake and a 'nice to meet you' like Sabo did.

Warm indeed.

Pleasantries dealt with, Sabo turned his attention to the king, and paled drastically.

Edward Newgate was an elderly man who was fit as a fiddle despite his age. During past festivals and events, the mercenary had seen him from a distance, but even then, he could tell that the king was in great health.

Now, that same monarch was lying silently in bed, seemingly void of life.

However, that wasn't the reason Sabo suddenly grew pale.

Unbeknownst to everyone else in the room, there was a dark haze that hung around the king. It was slowly wrapping itself around him, seeping into his body and leeching life from him.

The mercenary fell speechless. In his mind, many emotions were running amok - _happyrelievedsadconfusedworriedconcernedurgenthope._

Noticing his abnormal reaction, Sanji nudged him lightly to get his attention, but Sabo was too shocked to even notice.

He was only brought back to reality when a loud crash sounded from the direction of the balcony.

…

"Get off me Luffy!" a familiar voice howled, immediately followed by a signature laugh that two of the room's occupants dreaded.

"Who's there!" The guards, having heard the crash, burst into the room with spears leveled, standing vigilantly on guard. Haruta, Izo and Robin's hands immediately settled onto their respective weapons while Sabo and Sanji simply suppressed the urge to facepalm.

This has got to be the WORST entry EVER.

Climbing out from the pile of broken glass, two figures casually dusted the remaining fragments off, seemingly unaware of the many pairs of eyes following their every movement.

"How many times have I told you not to drag me with you when you jump off a roof?!" A taller man with green-hair was complaining towards his companion, a short, black-haired man who seemed to be just out of his teenage years.

"But Sabo lets me do it all the time." The ravenhead whined with a voice that shouldn't be possible for someone his age.

"That's 'cause he's just as crazy as you, if not more!" The green-haired man retorted heatedly, his hands tightening around the three swords strapped to his side.

As the conversation -as did everyone's attention- slowly redirected towards him, Sabo interrupted with a well-timed cough that somehow got through to the two blockheads.

"Huh?" The two bickering idiots turned their heads simultaneously. Before they could blink, the oldest of their group had appeared next to them, and the next all they could see were stars.

Unconcerned that he might have given his two companions significant brain damage by the force he'd smashed their heads together with, Sabo released his hold on them and let them slump unto the glass-littered floor, the whites of their eyes showing.

"There is such a thing as a door, you idiots." He commented dryly. Then he turned towards Haruta and Izo who were sending him dubious looks, dropping into a bow. "I apologise for my comrades' actions. I assure you, they don't mean any harm." _Not any intentional harm, anyway._ He added in his head, but they didn't have to know that. Behind him, Sanji dropped into a crouch beside the two bodies, poking them (Zoro) in the side repeatedly until the other let out a feral growl. Sabo felt his annoyance spike at the quarrel occurring between his team and was barely able to suppress his emotions so it didn't show on his face.

"It's fine. Happens all the time." Haruta waved it off, unperturbed by mere shattered glass -although he did wonder how they got up here. They were on the fifth floor for Roger's sake! And what was that he heard about jumping off a roof?- when there were more pressing matters. Such as their pop's health. "So, do you know what kind of illness it is?"

"In a minute." Sabo beckoned to Luffy -and clocked the other two while he was at it- who obediently trotted over and pointed to the king. "Luffy, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

As soon as Luffy set eyes on the king, he too paled like Sabo had.

"Sabo… is that...?" the youngest mercenary stammered out, his eyes wide with unbelief. At affirmation from his brother, his blank expression morphed into one of utter seriousness. "He won't last much longer."

"He won't," Sabo affirmed, his expression matching that of Luffy's. "He has three days, at most."

"What are you talking about?!" Izo cut in, her perfectly painted lips pursed in indignancy. "What do you mean he won't last three days?!"

Both Sabo and Luffy turned towards her, their similarly dark eyes holding the princess in a cold, bottomless stare.

"King Whitebeard isn't ill." Sabo said matter-of-factly.

"What? Then what do you call this?!"

"He's not ill," Luffy repeated, trading a quick look with Sabo.

As one, they disclosed the truth, blurting it out in the most straightforward way.

"He's cursed."

* * *

So, how'd you like it? Quick reminder: If you like it, please **favorite/follow/review** and **look forward to the next chapter** ; If you don't...review anyway. I'm not forcing you, I'm just politely asking ( _grins_ )

To Guest reviewers: Kindly use a nickname so I know who to address replies to.

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **.**

 **Edited: 1/5/18**


	2. Curses and Secrets

Hi here I am again. So yeah, here's the second chapter for Dragon Curse. I'm probably going to focus more on this story at the moment while I figure out **Be My Songbird's** plot line and how I want to go about it. Also, I'm officially out of school, but other stuff has taken up a lot of time, such as short-term uni courses/workshops, a part-time job, and university applications (which I have to write), so I don't really have much time to write now. Hope y'all understand.

To **Meh** (guest): Or else what? (smiles brightly) Thanks though, for your review. I'm happy you liked it. :)

To **passerby** (guest): Ace, eh? (grins evilly) I decided I didn't want him in this story, because my baes are Luffy and Sabo~ (heh) Hmm...I don't know~you're welcome to keep guessing though. And thanks for your review, I really enjoy reading the reviews you guys give me, they are a huge source of motivation.

To **Random Reader** (guest): Yup. Here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it too. Thank you for the review. :)

Beta'd by **AlternateMirai**

 **I don't own One Piece.**

 **Anyways, I'd love if you could drop a review and let me know what you think of it. Read this and continue on. Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"Cursed'?!" Haruta demanded, his voice tight with disbelief and anger as he and his sister fixed the two brothers with a cold glare that promised a lot of pain if their answer wasn't satisfactory. "Sabo, if this is your idea of a joke, I'll have you know it's not the least bit funny!"

Sensing the tension in the room spike, Zoro and Sanji reflexively jumped in front of Sabo and Luffy, their guarded expressions eerily similar. Zoro let out a low, feral-sounding growl, his way of warning his enemies not to do anything unnecessary while Sanji levelled the siblings opposite him with a glare of his own. Luffy blinked owlishly, seemingly unperturbed by the accusation towards Sabo, but Haruta didn't miss the very slight narrowing of his eyes.

There was more to Luffy than meets the eye.

"What makes you think I'm joking?" Sabo replied calmly, his blue eyes a deep and stagnant blue. "I meant exactly what I said. His Majesty isn't sick, but afflicted by a curse that is slowly corroding him from the inside."

"Sir Sabo, do you have any idea what curse it is?" As opposed to her superiors, Robin had a much more level mind, breaking the tension by asking the most crucial question at the moment.

Society was no stranger to curses. How could they be when curses had been in existence since forever? However, despite knowing of them, humans didn't really know about them. Not how they worked, nor what kinds existed. All because the application of a curse required the applicator to possess magic, but for humans, those who did were few and far between. Without any knowledge regarding curses, humans possessed an instinctual fear of it. A normal reaction to the unknown.

The only beings who possessed magic were the mythical races whom mankind shared the land with, the most prominent of them being the dragons. Faerie Folk like the mermaids and elves were a close second. Those races for the most part, deemed themselves superior to humans and dissented contact with mankind. They were a lesser race, apparently.

Since the mythical races kept to themselves in general, magic-related knowledge became an unknown field for mankind. Although rumours had mentioned certain exceptions, no one had any idea what those 'exceptions' were.

In response to Robin's question, the mercenary leader nodded and answered honestly, knowing Haruta, Izo and Robin would easily pick it up if he tried to hide the truth.

"Dragh Fearg." Two words were all that was needed to break the historian's calm facade. Robin's eyes widened in shock in reaction to the name.

"Dra-what now?" Haruta had obviously never heard of it and Sabo doubted the princess would have either. Lucky for them, Robin was there to help.

"Dragh Fearg, your highnesses," she explained. "It means 'the Dragon's Anger'."

"You know about it?" Sabo cocked an eyebrow, surprised that the historian knew what the name meant. But she did study history, so he supposed she must have seen it somewhere before. He had heard that the curse had appeared in the human world before, long ago in the distant past, so there might have been records.

Robin shook her head. "I came across it in one of the scrolls I found in the Paletra ruins. It mentions the name of the curse and describes it as a dreadful fate for the afflicted. I do not know if there were more. The remainder of the record that told of it was badly damaged beyond readability."

"I see," Sabo started to explain, "To put it simply, Dragh Fearg is a more vicious type of curse. It's said the curse itself is a form of punishment for the dragonkind, the ultimate penance cast unto those unlucky enough to incur their wrath and hatred. The afflicted becomes sicker every day as the curse corrodes them, until they eventually die. From what I know though, this curse was usually reserved for traitors and the like."

"That seems rather mild for a punishment though, in a way. " Sanji said, breathing out a ring of smoke. As a result, he got whacked on the head by Izo, who forced him to extinguish the cigarette, to Zoro's extreme mirth.

Looking over his shoulder, Sabo fixed the younger blonde with a demeaning look, one that suggested Sanji was an idiot. Even Luffy knew better.

"Physically speaking, it may be. Even so, mentally speaking, it is extreme torture for the afflicted. How would you feel if you knew your condition would worsen every passing moment, yet you were powerless to do anything?"

"But… " Sanji argued. "If it's a curse cast by a dragon, how is it that his majesty is afflicted when the dragons died out several decades ago?" Sanji had raised a very good question. The winged entities had become extinct after a devastating war between them and an underground organization that hunted mythicals. The last Rìgh, Roger had died on the battlefield moments after the war came to an end along with the Bhanrigh, Rouge. The couple had never left an heir. They were the last of their kind.

Sabo and Luffy exchanged quick looks of uncertainty. Both could read each other well enough that even the simplest gestures could contain an entire conversation others were unaware of.

 _Are we going to tell them?_ Luffy blinked.

Sabo raised a brow. _You're asking me? You're the one with the crazy instincts._

 _Eh..._ Luffy scratched his head. _I think they're ok._

 _Really?_ Sabo glanced at the prince and princess. _You're sure?_

 _I don't feel anything._ Luffy shrugged. _Sanji trusts them._

Sabo looked up at the ceiling. _If you say so. Still..._

"There are rumours," he explained after a short period of debation. "That the dragons extinction might have just been a ruse to throw their enemies off."

"You mean there might be dragons somewhere? Living, breathing, dragons?"

Sabo felt his eye twitch a tiny bit at Haruta's question. "Yes."

The room fell silence once again.

"I need a drink." Izo sighed as she fell into a chair. Robin handed her a freshly poured cup of tea. "This is critical information. I think it would be best to let our brothers know before we decide our next course of action."

Haruta agreed wholeheartedly. This wasn't something they could decided by themselves. Turning around, he frowned as he took in the two guards' stiff forms behind him.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" he asked reproachfully as he slapped them hard on their shoulders, jarring them back to reality.

"Have the servants go get our brothers! Whatever they're doing can wait, we need to have an emergency meeting right away!"

"Understood, your highness!"

* * *

After sending several servants out to gather the other princes and the guards returned to their post, Haruta and Izo led the mercenaries out of the king's chambers and headed over to a private room the royal family reserved for personal use. The room was spacious -it had to be to fit all sixteen of them, seventeen including their Pops- and luxuriously furnished. Large velvet couches sat in the middle of the room on either sides of an even larger high-backed armchair, surrounding a low oblong table. The floor underneath was covered with a fluffy burgundy carpet that highly contrasted with the royal blue carpet that lined the entirety of the room. Shelves and cupboards lined the walls, filled with books and various items. In one corner, there was a wine cabinet with a collection of alcohol that even the Dragon Fury's resident alcoholic had to admit was impressive.

Sabo and Luffy marvelled at the luxuriousness of the room, while Zoro didn't seem to care about anything other than the abovementioned wine cabinet. Sanji looked around with nostalgia, remembering the countless times he had been in this room prior to his forced resignation. The room looked exactly the same since he last saw it.

"Have a seat," Izo beckoned as she sat down while Robin retrieved a tea set from one of the cupboards and set to work brewing tea at the small counter installed in the corner.

Haruta followed suit, taking a seat next to the princess.

"Our brothers are scattered all over the place, so it might take a while before they all arrive."

Accepting her offer, the mercenaries picked one of the nearer couches that could seat all four of them and sat down, Sabo on the left-most side followed by Sanji, who had purposely picked that place so Luffy would be in between him and the hated mosshead. There was no way the blonde cook was going to sit next to that barbarian with grass for hair!

The scent of freshly brewed tea permeated the air as Robin poured hot water through the strainer into the teapot.

"Lemon Balm?" Sabo asked, recognising the herb's smell. The historian picked up the tray of cups and gracefully brought it over to the table without so much as a drop spilling out.

Haruta smiled and handed their guests a cup each. "I didn't think you knew herbs too."

"I like a good cup of tea," the mercenary leader replied, inhaling the drink's scent. "It really soothes the nerves. Though, I personally prefer Green Tea."

"Just like Marco, then," Izo chuckled. "Which reminds me, you were the one who introduced Lemon Balm to us in the first place, weren't you, Sanji."

Noticing the conversation directed his way, Sanji looked up from his cup where he had been smelling the brew.

"Only because you guys would always get into arguments whenever you were all in one room." The former palace cook grinned. "Lemon Balm reduces a stress hormone called Cortisol-"

"-and relaxes the body without causing drowsiness. It also helps to elevate the mood. Yes, we know." Haruta groaned. "You've only told us a million times."

"And that was another to add to the list." Sanji snorted and put his cup down. "You should leave it for a bit longer before you pour it. The taste is a little bland. Ah, but it's still really good, since Robin was the one who made it!" He added hurriedly after his 'professional opinion'.

Robin chuckled at the familiar sight and raised her cup towards Sanji. "Duly noted."

Haruta tsked. "Perfectionist flirt," he muttered.

"So," Robin started, her serious demeanor surfacing again. "Sir Sabo-"

Sabo held up a hand to stop her. "Just Sabo is fine." _**Sir**_ Sabo sounded plain weird.

Robin laughed softly. "Fine, Sabo. Since you have managed to identify the curse, I don't suppose you have any idea how to lift it?" The historian sounded calm, but Sabo could sense the underlying worry in her question. It was natural that they would worry, he thought. According to Koala, he was their last hope, and if he couldn't help them…there would soon be a new king.

Good thing he did have an answer for Robin.

"Well-"

At that precise moment, the door was thrown wide open, hitting the walls with a loud 'bang'.

"Haruta! What's going on?! Is something wrong?!" A man with auburn hair styled in a pompadour and a chef's uniform hurried in, followed by a dark-skinned man with dreadlocks and another with long hair in a braid.

"Don't do that!" Izo shrieked. The sound of the door had been so sudden that the princess had jumped in shock. "Are you guys trying to give me a heart attack?!"

The redhead visibly flinched. "I'm sorry!" he squeaked, throwing his hands up in front of him to protect himself from any possible projectiles his dear sister might decide to throw his way. Namely, a teacup. Or her shoes. Those hurt a lot, being high heels and all.

The princess huffed and sat back down. "Count yourself lucky we have guests with us." In other words, she was protecting his dignity. At least, what was left of it after their previous display.

"I apologise for our brother's unsightly display." Izo's attention returned to Sabo and she introduced the three who just came in. "These are our older brothers; the redhead is Thatch, the one with dreadlocks is Rakuyo and the last one is Blenheim."

Sabo stood up to greet them, acquainting himself with the three older princes.

They sat down, picking seats opposite their two younger siblings.

"I see you still let Izo walk all over you, eh?" a teasing voice said, drawing the princes' attention towards the rest of the mercenaries. They immediately recognised one familiar face amongst them - the younger blonde who was slouching against the couch.

"Sanji!" the redhead cried, proceeding to launch himself at the former cook who swiftly leapt out of range, taking care not to spill the tea in his hand while his three comrades darted off the couch just as quickly. The redhead crashed head-first into the couch, toppling the furniture.

"Don't dodge, damn it!" the man cursed, nursing a bump on his head where it had made impact. "Aren't we supposed to be best buds?"

Sanji rolled his eyes in exasperation, a faint smile gracing his features. "We are, but I don't recall ordering a tackle hug."

"Now you're just being mean."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

An ornate folding fan flew across the air, curving in a way that managed to hit both men at the same time and effectively shut them up. A few seconds later, a slender hand caught the fan that curved back expertly. "You were saying, Sabo?" She motioned towards the mercenary leader, telling him to continue with what he had been about to say before.

Sabo was careful to keep a straight face lest it betrayed his thoughts (that Thatch was an idiot) as he carried on with their previous conversation. "I don't think you would believe me if I said I didn't, would you?"

"What wouldn't they believe?"

The door opened again, revealing the rest of the siblings who had just arrived.

The rest of the family piled into the room, noting the fresh (and not so fresh) faces that were sitting off to the side while they were informed of the identities of their guest.

"So you're Sabo of the Dragon's Fury. It's nice to meet you." Marco turned a scrutinizing gaze towards the mercenaries, excluding Sanji, and settled on their leader. Sabo was studying the crown prince of the Whitebeard Empire as well.

"Likewise, it's an honour to meet you, Crown Prince Marco."

Marco offered his hand towards Sabo, who graciously accepted it. The crown prince then proceeded to introduce his siblings, even though he was fairly sure the blonde opposite him already knew who was who, but it was common courtesy to introduce people who've never met. Gesturing to his family who were standing behind him, Marco made simple introductions in no certain order.

"You've already met Thatch, Rakuyo, Blenheim, Haruta and Izo so I'll introduce the rest. Starting from my left is Jozu, Kingdew, Fossa, Vista, Jiru, Blamenco, Atmos, Curiel and Namur."

"It's a great honor to meet all of you, your highnesses." Sabo dropped into a slight bow which Sanji, Zoro and Luffy copied. "These three are my comrades. You all know Sanji, and these two here are Zoro and my brother Luffy."

Following Marco's example, Sabo introduced the remaining members of their group before Izo interrupted with an apology.

"We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later, but for now, let's first deal with the matter at hand, ok?"

Every occupant in the room voiced their consent, and Izo had them all find a place to sit before she and Haruta started telling their siblings what they had been told earlier.

After they finished, the atmosphere in the room was considerably gloomier than it had been a while ago. Except for Haruta and Izo, every princes' gaze was similarly downcast, and a few of them were gripping their hands hard enough that the princess worried if they would hurt themselves by accident.

The first to find his composure again, Marco turned azure eyes unto the mercenaries, noting their semi-relaxed stances. Good. Relaxed meant their leader hadn't lied, but… "How did you know it was a curse?" He asked, a minimal amount of suspicion present in his tone.

Curses were hard to identify as their manifestations were similar to physical illnesses. Being magic-less, humans were unable to tell them apart. Though there had been speculations that the minority of mankind who could use it could see curses in a physical form, it had yet to be proven. The Whitebeard crown prince didn't believe it, of course, but hearing about how Sabo and Luffy had determined it was a curse on sight...he was beginning to wonder about the authenticity of those speculations.

"We can-" Sabo clapped a hand over his little brother's big mouth, an innocent smile on his face. "I'm afraid it's a trade secret, your highness."

"Zoro and Sanji don't know either, we never told them," he added quickly when he noticed Marco's eyes flit towards his other two comrades, admitting to the secrecy that the other two members of the Dragon's Fury had not been privy to until now.

"We won't pry," Marco spoke in a cautious tone. "But how do we know we can trust what you say?"

Sabo's friendliness disappeared in an instant. Though his smile remained present, it no longer had that sunny tone to it. In fact, the siblings felt a shiver down their back when those blue eyes that were a few shades darker than their oldest's darkened and fixed its gaze on them. One that made them feel like the prey in front of a predator.

"You don't. It's entirely your choice whether to trust me or not." He said curtly, his tone as cold as ice.

The room fell into silence.

"That brat can be trusted." A voice cut through the silence, drawing everyone's attention to the door, where an old woman was leaning against the doorframe, a bottle of quality alcohol in hand. A young boy with messy brown hair was peeking from behind her, his similarly brown eyes scanning the room. As they settled on the four figures facing away from the door, the boy's eyes brightened and he let out a happy squeal.

The silence in the room had never felt more real than then when it broke, spiderweb cracks spreading across until it shattered into uncountable pieces.

"Luffy!" With a laugh, the raven-haired male easily caught the boy who had launched himself in a tackle hug. "You guys are finally here!"

"Chopper!"

The serious atmosphere in the room was broken as the two embraced each other, wide grins gracing their features. After a few more seconds, Luffy let Chopper down, who then proceeded to tackle the other three mercenaries, whom all graciously accepted their hugs.

"You've grown a bit, haven't you, Chopper?" Zoro asked, motioning towards the boy's considerably taller height then when they last saw him.

Grinning ear to ear, Chopper nodded excitedly. "Uh huh!" He replied, rocking on the balls of his feet. "I had a growth spurt a while ago."

"Heh," Zoro drawled. "Remind me how old you are again?"

Before Chopper could answer, the woman by the door interrupted. "Playing favourites, swords-boy?" She cackled as the green-haired man turned towards her reluctantly.

"Hi," he said stiffly. Due to previous 'encounters', the green-haired swordsman wasn't very fond of the old witch and would rather not meet her if he had the choice, which unfortunately wasn't in his possession now.

"Kureha," Sabo greeted. "Your faith in me is heartwarming," he said, referring to the old doctor's earlier words. In response, Kureha snorted as she downed a gulp of her drink.

"Sarcastic brat," she snorted, returning her attention to the royal siblings. "He isn't lying."

"You sound sure of that," Vista noted.

"Because, you wannabe magician, it _**is**_ a curse that Newgate is under."

"You knew?!" the princes all but roared. "Then why didn't you say so sooner?!"

"Recognising a curse and identifying it are two different things," the doctor snapped. "I knew it was a curse, but not _**what**_ curse it was, and certainly not how to lift it. That's where those idiot brothers come in."

Incomprehension was written all over people's faces.

Perhaps she felt the need to preserve whatever rationality they had left, Kureha stood out to explain the situation. "You all know of that rumour, don't you? The one about people having magic being able to see curses." She paused to let it sink in, and continued after receiving nods. "It's very much true."

"You mean curses actually have a physical form?" Robin asked.

"Not quite. What can be seen is actually their magic aura. Why do you think I had Chopper inform you about them?" Kureha affirmed. "Those two brats and I all can see it, through the Sight I have can't compare to theirs. Right, brat?"

Sabo rolled his eyes. "Right. Just give everything away, won't you?" The sarcasm in his voice couldn't have been more obvious.

Cackling, the witch doctor walked into the room, casually tossing the bottle in her hand up and down. "I would if there was anything else I could give away."

The doctor's old eyes flicked between the brothers. "You two do a surprisingly good job of keeping your secrets, considering what an airhead your younger brother is."

The blonde shrugged, not bothering to give an answer.

"Anyway," she regarded the royal family. "If it's magic-related, these two brats are guaranteed to know more than I. If he can tell what curse it is, he probably knows how to lift it too," she said bluntly, selling the mercenary out.

Immediately, the sixteen siblings focused on him, their eyes flashing intensely. They were just one step from having ' _SPILL NOW!'_ written on their foreheads.

"I do know," Sabo finally admitted, buckling under the pressure of sixteen pairs of eyes staring intently at him. "However," He added before they had a chance to speak. "I can't tell you how it is done."

"What?! Why not?!"

"The curse is from dragonkind, and likewise, the method to lift it. They are secrets belonging to the dragons, and as one entrusted with them, I am entitled to protect these secrets from others," Sabo explained, fixing a solemn gaze on the royalty that made them unconsciously straighten.

"No matter who they may be."

"Fine. Don't tell." Marco crossed his arms. "That doesn't mean **you** can't do it."

By the door, Kureha clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Bad move, princey."

Sabo's attention turned on him. "...Are you threatening me, your highness?"

The crown prince was, in fact, threatening the mercenary leader. Luffy and Zoro bristled at the underlying threat in the prince's tone, but Sanji held them back, looking up at Marco with an intensity in his eyes that no one from the palace had ever seen before.

"I should warn you that we don't really take well to threats to one of us," he said, his tone calm yet dangerous. "Especially not to our leader."

Seemingly ignoring the former palace chef, Marco replied to Sabo's question. "And what if I am?"

"Well, for starters…" The mercenary leader raised a hand to his chin, looking as if he were deep in thought. "My comrades and I would be taking our leave." In short, the king could die for all he cared.

Before anyone could protest though, he continued speaking, a faint smirk on his lips.

"But then again, you seeking us out for help for the king has provided an unexpected discovery for me, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to do the royal family a favour in return, even if you aren't very nice, Prince Marco."

"So you'll do it?" Haruta interrupted, eyes shining with hope.

"Yeah." Sabo scratched his head. "I need to get a few things first though. It'll take some time, but the king's not going to last past three days so Luffy and I will have to take measures to delay the curse's effects."

Then he left the room, his younger brother trailing after him. The rest of the room's occupants immediately followed the brothers out the door, arriving at the king's bedroom once again.

Sabo and Luffy had only left a few seconds ahead of them, but when they got out of the room, the two brothers were nowhere to be seen. The door was already open by the time the rest of the company arrived, and when they stepped into the room, they found Sabo and Luffy drawing the knives hanging on their sides and swiftly cutting open their palm.

The cut was shallow, and a wound like that usually coagulated within moments, but like a faucet that had been left open, blood kept flowing out, pooling in the palm of their hand.

Chopper, who had been standing with Zoro and Sanji, nearly freaked out at the sight. Fortunately, Kureha held him back. Despite her doctor's instincts telling her otherwise, Kureha knew very well that she shouldn't interrupt.

Those brothers knew what they were doing.

Under watchful eyes, Sabo and Luffy moved to stand next to the king on either sides of the bed. To their audiences surprise, they started to draw with the blood on their fingers, Sabo on the king's exposed chest and Luffy on the sheets around the king.

After what seemed like several hours but was really just twenty minutes, the brothers finally finished whatever they had been doing and stepped aside, revealing an odd circle with glyphs written inside and similar glyphs written along the perimeter of the bed. Unnoticed, Robin's eyes widened slightly before returning to normal.

Wobbling a little, Luffy made his way to the king and pressed his still bleeding hand to the monarch's mouth, letting the red liquid flow in. On instinct, the king swallowed the blood. Luffy remained in that position for a while, until he started to feel weak and had to stop. Sabo, who had been waiting for him, held out a hand to steady his little brother.

Sabo sat down, leaning against the wall with Luffy's head in his lap.

"It won't last long, but at the very least it'll give him a few days." He warned, referring to whatever they had just done. "I'll head out tomorrow."

"Do you even know where to look?"

"I have an idea," the mercenary leader admitted. "But I really don't like that place."

Closing his eyes, he let his head fall against the wall. "Has anyone of you ever been to Morsky?"

* * *

The journey from Phoenix to the Griam river that served as the border between Morsky and Whitebeard took Sabo and Marco the whole of five days to reach on horseback.

Early in the afternoon, an enchanting view of a village bathed in soft sunlight came into sight of the two riders as they rode up the hill overlooking the village. Along the river stood a majestic building - the Lyrid Fortress, headquarters of the Lyrid knights who guard the border and entrance to the Griam Bridge that spanned across the river. Even from where they were, both Marco and Sabo could see the knights diligently patrolling around the fortress, village and along the river.

Seeing the people of their kingdom working hard sparked a feeling of pride within Marco, and a faint smile played on his lips. However, it didn't last long.

The view was nice, yes, and it would've been even more pleasant were it not for the lifeless earth far in the distance, just across the river on the opposite shore.

Marco was taken aback completely.

As Crown Prince, he naturally was privy to the going-ons of the kingdom and its neighbours. When news of an incurable epidemic arising in Morsky reached Whitebeard, the king had sent out scouts to Morsky to gather information while ordering the border guards to tighten security in case of smugglers. While Whitebeard was a compassionate ruler, he too was wise and always held his subjects as his first priority. As such, he did not permit any actions that might potentially harm his people, even if it meant refusing refuge to the suffering people of Morsky. If the Morskians wanted to come into Whitebeard territory, they had to go through the legal channel by passing through Lyrid Fortress and undergoing a medical evaluation by by doctors stationed at the fortress.

Things went well for a while until one day, Haruta noticed something off in the reports that were handed to him by the scouts sent to Morsky. In the Whitebeard Empire, each member of the family helped to keep the country running smoothly by taking charge of something they excelled at, and Haruta was in charge of intel. Haruta hadn't been aware of it at first, but when he read through the latest reports, he realised something.

It had been a few months since the scouts had been sent out, and they had started taking in refugees. Within those months, many of the refugees who had originally been unaffected had passed away, yet none of the scouts who were deep in the red zone had experienced even the slightest decline in health.

Haruta quickly brought the matter to the family's attention, and they all agreed it was rather abnormal. But with no explanation for it, there was nothing they could do about it.

Years passed and Morsky showed no sign of healing. And then, the epidemic took the entire kingdom.

At that time, Marco had been extremely busy with all the work that came flooding in, and hadn't given the matter more thought than necessary, and with Whitebeard falling ill afterwards, he had to take on even more work, which meant the oddness of Morsky's ruin had completely slipped his mind. Apparently, everyone else's too.

But now, with this harsh reality in front of him, Marco found that he couldn't say anything. Nothing at all.

A stark contrast to the rich green river plains on their side, the land on the other shore was dark and gloomy, the ground full of dead grass and wilted trees.

"It's quite the sight, isn't it?" Sabo asked from beside him, a heavy look clouding his eyes.

"It is."

That was the only exchange between them as Marco silently followed Sabo down the hill.

Under the curious gazes of the villagers, the two blondes headed directly to the fortress, where a guard was sent in to announce their presence to the person in charge. A moment later, the same guard returned and showed them in while another guard took their horses to the fortress' stable.

A man in his early thirties was standing by the door, waiting to receive their two guests. He wore the standard knight's attire along with a simple headband that wrapped around his black curly hair.

Marco was fairly familiar with this man. Doma Bohem, captain of the Lyrid knights under direct jurisdiction of his brother, Jozu, the third prince. Doma rarely came to the capital due to his duties as border guard, but whenever he did, he always shared a drink with them. In fact, their relationship was more that of family than of superior and subordinate. During the meeting two weeks ago, Doma had also been present.

"Hello, Doma," Marco greeted casually as they entered the fortress, receiving a friendly smirk from the knight captain.

Dismissing his subordinate with a slight wave of his hand, Doma returned the greeting with the same casualness, although it was still respectful enough, as befitting their respective statuses.

As Doma led them through the fortress to a more private location, Marco introduced him to Sabo, earning the mercenary leader a muted look of acknowledgement from the captain and unhidden awe from passing knights, while also making known the reason for their sudden visit.

They came out on a balcony on the upper floor overlooking the river, and Doma turned to lean against the railings, arms crossed over his chest.

"It's a pretty dangerous trip to Marineford, Marco," Doma spoke, reverting to the casualness he displayed only when they were in close company. "I'm sure you're well aware of it from all my reports, but for the past two months, plenty of… less than savoury company have been continuously active on the other side."

"I am well aware," Marco responded as he cast a fleeting glance towards the other blonde beside him. "However, despite that, we have to make the trip. Although blondie over here refuses to tell me exactly why we're going to Morsky."

Doma had already been informed of the recent happenings in the palace, and knew that the Dragon Fury's leader was their only hope. If he said they had to go to Morsky, than they would head there without any hesitation. Still…

"And you guys accepted it, just like that?" The knight captain asked dubiously, eyeing the mercenary who appeared to be studying the wasteland across the river.

Marco shrugged. "He had Kureha's stamp of approval. Even if we don't trust him, at least it's better than nothing. And to be fair, I've asked him plenty of times on the way here although he refuses everytime."

"I see…" Doma pondered it for a moment. "If you don't mind, I'd like to accompany the two of you into Morsky."

The black-haired man shot a suspicious look at Sabo, his underlying meaning clear as day.

Picking up on the glare drilling into his side, Sabo sighed inwardly and turned around to face the knight captain and the prince with a mildly exasperated look.

"Stop glaring at me, will you?" Sabo rolled his eyes. "If you want to come, feel free to. But do remember to pack enough water and rations for a week at least."

"I will see to it immediately."

"Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"We'll be going by foot from here on." Inside the privacy of his mind, Sabo cackled evilly as he dropped the bomb on the unsuspecting prince and knight, enjoying their reaction as they comprehended what had just been said to them.

...

An hour later, the group of two that had expanded and became three crossed the Griam Bridge, setting foot into Morskian territory. Sabo walked at the front, as he was the guide while Marco and Doma followed behind him, striking up idle chit chat to fill the silence around them. Sometimes Sabo would pitch in his own two bits, but otherwise, the mercenary mostly kept to himself, as he did most of their way here.

It was strange though. Doma had said that there were other groups in Morsky, but so far, they had yet to run into anyone. Sabo wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a good thing, but he couldn't do anything about it now anyway, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

The three men made good progress with the time they had left until sundown, arriving at a small village some ways north of the the Empire's borders. The village was built at the foot of a mountain, and since no one felt like sleeping in the empty village, they all agreed to camp on the mountain.

The hike up was eerily easy. What usually would have taken at least an hour was completed within half that time. The once lush, evergreen forest had withered away like every other place they had seen so far, and there was absolutely no signs of life anywhere. Only a very slight sound of running water could be heard.

This wasn't the worse, apparently. According to Sabo, things would only get worse the further they ventured into Morsky. This wasteland was just the tip of the iceberg.

They reached a dip in the landscape, and the three men climbed up to find a shallow valley with a river running through it. The river had dried up partially though, leaving nothing more than a brook that flowed silently across the river bed, the source of the sound they had heard.

Sabo looked around, searching for some place that could be used as shelter. It would be getting dark soon, and it was never a good idea to stay out in the open at night, even if their surroundings were pretty much void of life.

A small indentation at the base of the valley caught his eye, and the mercenary called out to his companions.

"Wait, I think I see a fox? Hmm, it must've wandered in from the empire," Sabo muttered offhandedly as his eyes zeroed in on a small, red shape on the opposite slope.

…

Marco stoked the fire, watching the growing flames reflected in his azure eyes. Opposite him, Sabo was expertly skinning a fox that had been wandering around looking for food but ultimately became food itself. Doma had went out to get water from the brook, bringing their empty canteens along to refill them.

The only sounds in the otherwise silent cave was those of the crackling fire as it burned through the kindling.

"So…" Marco started.

"If you're going to ask me again why we're going to Morsky, I swear, prince or not, I will smack you," the mercenary said casually, like he was talking about the weather and hadn't just threatened a member of royalty. Burying the fox's innards in a pit he had dug, Sabo ran a stake through the meat and put it up to roast over the fire.

"Actually, no," the crown prince replied, looking away from the flames to the darkness outside. "I was just going to ask… why are you helping us? Except a reward, I don't think there's anything in this for you. Or your comrades." _That and that earlier comment about the fox,_ he added in his head, but opted not to say it out loud.

Sabo shifted his attention from their cooking meal to his fellow blonde. "What makes you think I'm not doing this for the reward? I am a mercenary, you know."

Marco shrugged. "You don't seem the type to do something this high-risk without good reason." He shifted the firewood a bit, letting the flames trapped beneath to rise to the surface. "Though it's no business of mine as long as you don't stab us in the back."

Sabo scoffed and peeled a bit of meat off, popping it in his mouth. "I don't do that shit." He grimaced. "Not quite done yet."

Marco tossed in a few more sticks, feeding the fire. "I still don't really trust you."

"Fair enough since I don't really trust you either. But you got no choice. Aside from Luffy, I'm the only one who can find what you're looking for."

"How very reassuring." The prince clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Sabo leant back against the cave wall, the fire illuminating his eyes while the fire light gave him an ethereal look. The two blondes sat in silence, the fire cackling between them. Minutes passed, and soon, the aromatic scent of roasted meat filled the cave, eliciting growls of hunger from both men. Doma returned just in time to hear it, chuckling as the blondes shot him identical glares and set down their canteens next to their bags.

Pulling out a knife, Sabo expertly carved off the meat, separating it into equal portions and handed one each to Marco and Doma. They had both just started to dig in when they noticed Sabo's portion was gone. Noticing their stare, Sabo shrugged, realising what was going through the crown prince's and knight captain's mind. It wasn't the first time people had been… _**fascinated**_ by the speed he ate at. To be fair though, he had a really good reason for eating that fast.

"We gotta eat fast, otherwise Luffy would steal it. There's also the chance that something might happen while we're eating, so we eat fast in order to avoid such a case. Even though Kureha has warned us many times since eating too fast is apparently a health hazard." he explained. Looking up, his eyes met Marco's for a split second before Sabo averted his eyes again.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you a bit about why we came here," he said, staring into the darkness outside with a faraway look.

"There are two reasons why I wanted to come to Morsky, despite the danger," he admitted. "The first is the cure you seek. The second is a personal matter."

"Why would you look for the cure in this place?" The plague had left its marks on Morsky. In the few villages they had passed, there had been nothing but skeletons everywhere. Marco was no stranger to tragedy, but even then, he had been caught unexpected by the horrid state of the kingdom.

Sabo however, didn't seem surprised at all. His reaction then, if Marco remembered correctly, was more like he had been expecting it.

The mercenary looked like he was pondering whether to answer Marco, and he took so long that Marco thought he was going to brush him off again with a 'It's a secret' like he had done before, but Sabo cut him off just as he was about to speak.

"Morsky… is likely the curse's place of origin."

"How'd you know that… nevermind, it's a secret. I get it." Marco started to ask, only to forego it when Sabo gave him _**that**_ look.

He's become quite familiar with that look over the past few days, given the number of times he'd been subjected to it.

"Glad you do." Sabo flashed him a grin.

"Such misfortune though, that that is the only thing I'm telling you."

Marco was very much tempted to smack him there and then for his impudence, but ultimately held back because he's a nice person. And yes, he was still irked that Sabo had said he was _**not nice.**_

Doma snorted. He was starting to like Sabo a little. If only to see how he easily annoyed Marco.

* * *

High above on the roof of one of the palace's many towers, Luffy sat in silence as he watched the setting sun in the distance. An evening breeze blew against him gently, and the ravenhead appreciated the calming effect it had.

It eased his worries a little.

Sabo had left five days ago along with Pineapple - _Marco_ , his mind supplied- on a trip to Morsky.

Luffy would've gone with him, but the king's condition had forced him to stay. Like Sabo had told the royal family, the measures they had taken would only delay the curse and wouldn't last. The time it would take them to return was unpredictable, so Luffy was forced to stay to renew the seal -that was what Sabo said those circles and writings were called back when they were learning it- whenever it weakened, so the curse couldn't continue corroding the king.

Sabo had assured him he would be fine -he was Luffy's big brother after all- and had left Sanji and Zoro with him, despite their many protests. Sabo had tasked him with the king's wellbeing, so he stayed.

That didn't stop him from worrying about his older brother though. It was his right as Sabo's little brother.

That wasn't the only reason though.

Morsky... it was a name the brothers weren't fond of. It brought back memories from a long time ago, and neither of them were happy to be reminded of it.

Yet, the king was under _**that**_ curse.

Luffy didn't know what to feel. Should he be happy or sad or worried or angry or something?

Before Sabo left, they'd had a talk in private. Morsky's annihilation, while mysterious in others eyes, had proven to be the lead they had been looking for.

No plague could possible do what had been done to that kingdom, despite what the rumours said. No, it was something more than that. Something much more powerful…

And the brothers had a pretty good idea what it was.

However, they didn't tell anyone else, not even Sanji or Zoro. The truth entailed too much, and it was a risk they weren't willing to take.

The brothers would deal with it themselves. No need to involve anyone else.

They wouldn't allow history to repeat itself. This time, they were stronger. They weren't helpless anymore.

Not that all their resolve would be of much use if things weren't as they hoped.

Hopefully, it would be. Sabo had said it would be. And Luffy believed him.

Luffy closed his eyes, allowing himself to feel the breeze with more clarity. It cleared his mind, and Luffy opened his eyes again. A familiar presence was nearing him, radiating hostile intent.

For a split second, his eyes changed before they returned to normal.

Then he grinned. It was time to go…

Standing up, he walked to the edge of the roof and peered down. Height to the nearest roof: Estimation twenty-one meters. Not _**too**_ high.

He jumped.

Just in time, too. As soon as his feet left the roof, Sanji burst through the roof hatch, a fire in his eyes and his foot literally blazing.

Looks like Sanji finally noticed.

"LUFFY!" The blonde cook roared, racing to the roof's edge and following the ravenhead in a similar manner. "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"

And thus ensued an hour-long game of Catch Luffy across the palace roofs, to which many in the palace watched in amusement.

"THOSE DESSERTS WERE FOR IZO AND ROBIN!"

* * *

Note: _R_ ì _gh -_ King

 _Bhanrigh -_ Queen

To Guest reviewers: Kindly use a nickname so I know who to address replies to.

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **.**

 **Edited: 1/5/18**


	3. Pre-festivals and Midways

Hi guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? Now that I'm writing this, I noticed that it's been what, four months since I last updated anything? WOW. Yeah... took me long enough, huh? But to be fair, I was a little busy with my life. That and editing DC's previous chapters (and drawing pictures for rose7anne101-if anyone here hasn't read her stories, you should go check them out! Honest.)

And speaking of the previous chapters, I've went and edited them quite a bit, so I'd suggest going back to read them **before** reading Chapter 3, 'cause I may or may not have made a few changes...? My friend and Alternate Mirai (my wonderful beta) said it looked a lot better though, so that's that. You guys can decide if it is and let me know.

Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed, because it makes me really happy whenever I receive an email about my stories. Makes me more motivated to write when I get too lazy (Happens since I only work weekends and have the rest of the week to slouch at home). Hopefully, it won't take me as long to write the next chapter.

:Everyone who reviewed, thank you once again for the lovely reviews. I'm glad you guys liked the story. Hope you like this chapter too, I'm looking forwards to hearing your thoughts on it. :

Beta'd by **AlternateMirai.** She's wrote some nice stories too, my favourite is 'Hold Me Close'.

 **I don't own One Piece.**

Anyways, on to the chapter!

* * *

Clink.

… ? … where… am I?

What… happened?

Clink. 

… chains? Ahh… right.

… those inferior creatures… how dare they…

… they will pay.

...at least… safe.

… ? Safe…? What's safe…

… … 

… …

Whose voice… is that?

It sounds so… sad, hateful… empty.

Why?

…

Where...am I?

What is this darkness?

…

...how long have I been here?

* * *

"357… 358… 359… 360…" With every count, an inhumanely huge barbell was rhythmically swung forward with an ease that suggested that either the barbell was lighter than it looked, or the person swinging it had monstrous strength that bordered on ridiculousness. Perhaps some would suggest a bit of both, but it was evident from the person in question that this feat was entirely the latter.

"361… 362… 363… 364…" And so continued this borderline extreme, rigorous training routine that belonged to no other than the swordsman of the Dragon's Fury, Roronoa Zoro.

Absently keeping count as his body moved automatically, long since accustomed to this routine albeit with differing tools, Zoro pondered the recent developments of his life in his head.

First things first, he'd been ditched. Completely, utterly ditched by the three assholes he called his comrades.

Sabo had gone off on some stupid quest with the pineapple-haired prince, and Luffy was staying at the palace by request of the royal family; "Just in case." They said and he quoted.

Which left only him and Sanji, though he would rather die than admit he enjoyed the blonde cook's company. Not that he did.

But someone up there must've had a grudge against him, because the night before Sabo left, Sanji had been 'reconciled' with his adopted father and head royal chef, who then decided that his 'imbecilic eggplant of a son' was better off helping out in the kitchens than loitering somewhere and promptly dragged the blonde off with him.

Zoro never saw him until the next day, when he came by to the guest rooms they were staying in to hand Sabo a huge bag packed with enough food and water to last him a week, looking like he was falling asleep on his feet. Which he did, staggering towards whoevers bed was closest and falling into it, deep asleep before he even hit the pillow.

And after sending Sabo off, Sanji -now fully rested- was immediately pulled to the kitchens while Luffy went with the princess to the king's chambers to check up on the old man.

Leaving Zoro all on his own.

And Zoro on his own was never a good thing. Alas, the only two sensible people in their group were absent at the moment.

The end result? Zoro somehow managed to disappear from the palace grounds and reappear in the Southern sector of Phoenix within the span of one hour in an unsurpassable feat.

The end result of the end result? Koala, who had been in the area on business happened onto the swordsman by some chance and resignedly brought him back to the Sun Arena, where Zoro was currently occupying one of its many courtyards to train.

Next development was, there was no more alcohol left in the Arena. Not even in the store. And the arena's wine cellar was huge.

Granted, that was technically his fault, as he had been the one to instigate the drinking contest last night. But hey, the arena staff were equally at fault for inviting him to drink in the first place. They had it coming.

Thank -not the gods, no. Zoro didn't believe in gods- whatever that Koala, utterly unimpressed by the emptied out wine cellar, had resigned herself to signing an approval to allocate enough funds to restock the alcohol supply, along with a strict warning. Simply put, if they depleted a few months worth of alcohol within days again, she'd do terrible things to them. And Zoro had no intention of letting Koala have her way; the staff may be ignorant, but Zoro would bet his drinks he knew what Koala had in mind when she said that, and he wanted no part of it.

And last of all… Zoro spared a glance towards the direction of the Arena gates which he could see from his courtyard where a sizable crowd had gathered, his attention drawn by all the noise. They're probably tournament contenders... Zoro thought, noting the aura surrounding the crowd. Most gave off the impression of seasoned fighters, with a few rookies mixed into the crowd. They're here early. I thought the announcement was tomorrow? He idly wondered, then shrugged and turned back to his training… or he would have, if a certain brunette wasn't headed straight for him.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anything done when Koala clearly wanted him for something, Zoro rested the barbell on the ground, waiting as Koala sauntered towards him with a box in her arms.

"Training again, I see." The petite woman greeted cheerily, holding a hand up in greeting. A single guard stood behind her - a captain named Hatchan that Zoro was fairly familiar with, having grown up together at the Arena's orphanage. Zoro nodded towards him as greeting, and shifted his focus back to Koala.

"What do you want, Koala?" The mercenary asked suspiciously. "I already told you I'll join the tournament."

If possible, her grin widened, and with it the bad feeling in Zoro's gut.

"I know you did. But right now…" She chirped innocently. "I just need you to pick out a piece of paper from this box."

Zoro glanced at Hatchan who met his eyes and responded with a shrug.

Then he reached in and pulled out the first paper his hands came across. The moment it left the box, the paper disappeared from his hands into Koala's who was studying the paper with intrigue.

"Well whaddya know." She muttered under her breath. "At least it's not the same as usual."

"What are you talking about?"

Looking up at him, Koala smiled excitedly. "I'm talking about this, Zoro." She said as she held up the piece of paper for him to see.

'Tournament format # ? - Team Battle Royale'

"And?" Zoro asked, not getting what his brunette friend was getting hyped about.

Koala huffed exasperatedly. "What do you mean 'and?' This is, like, the first time in years the format wasn't Elimination, Battle Royale or Round Robin!"

Still not seeing the point, Zoro picked up his barbell again as Koala continued her rant.

"It's always either of those three! It's like we're cursed or something!"

"Right." Though the swordsman didn't show it, the mention of 'curse' brought his thoughts to the events that transpired in the castle days ago.

Everyone had their own secrets, and it was up to them whether they wanted to share, Zoro was well aware of that and never pried, but something about how Sabo and Luffy, his two oldest friends had kept their ability secret didn't sit right with him.

Just like the way they had suddenly disappeared 10 years ago.

* * *

With the Solstice Festival just around the corner, people from all parts of the land had gathered within the imperial city of Phoenix.

Due to large influx of people, Phoenix was bustling with activity even more than usual. With the heightened activity, the Royal Guard -with aid from the army- that was headed by Prince Vista and Prince Jiru, too had increased the amount of patrols on the streets to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their citizens. Especially from any fights that may break out during the festival.

A requisite measure, if anything. While most people had came to Phoenix to partake in the festivities, there were another crowd that had came for a different reason. And that reason was the annual tournament hosted by the Sun Arena in conjunction with the festival.

Every year, during the Solstice Festival, the Sun Arena hosted a combative tournament that lasted approximately the length of the festival. As with the festival, people from all over travelled just to participate in the tournament. Some of them joined just for the fun of it, while some came with thoughts of the prize in mind. No matter what they came for, the tournament was open to all.

As the host, the Sun Arena had full jurisdiction over the tournament, so to spice things up some, they changed the tournament formats every year. No one -besides the arena's committees, obviously- ever knew how the tournament would be held until three days before the festival, the same day registry was opened. While some people didn't like the annual changes, most of the participants had shown a preference for it. Something about the thrills of the unknown.

Today, as it seems, was the day when the format was announced and registry was opened. As a result, there was a large amount of people gathered in a crowd outside the gates of the Sun Arena with the arena guards mixed in there, trying to maintain some semblance of order.

Usually, the arena would be opened to the public, but for the next three days starting today, it was closed so there wouldn't be any disruptions to the staff who were busy setting up for the tournament. Not to mention the many vendors that would be establishing various stalls around the coliseum where the tournament was scheduled to be held so to cater to the spectators whose patronage were sure to be garnered by the competition.

In short, this was the sight that a teenager ,who looked about fifteen years old, came across as he stepped out of an alley opposite the arena.

The teenager had dark, curly hair held in place by a plaid bandana, thick lips and a nose with significant length. Combined with his washed out shirt and ragged overalls, the teenager was easily recognisable by the locals as a chronic prankster. However, they did not know his name, only that he went by the name Sling, for no reason other than that the boy was a genius with a slingshot.

That being said, while people recognized him, no one stepped up to engage him in conversation.

It was just one of those things that was.

The boy, Sling, was an orphan.

When other kids were running around playing, the teen was finding ways to survive on his own.

Perhaps it was the difference in their upbringing, but Sling never could fit in with any of the local kids. Not to mention the fact that the teen was really lanky, as thin as a boy his age could get without being anorexic.

His constant pranks around the neighbourhood didn't help either.

To the locals, Sling was simply an annoyance that they had rather not have to deal with.

Although, the teen in question seemed like he could care less what others thought of him.

This year's tournament, as announced by the arena earlier this morning, would be held in the form of a Team Battle Royale.

Team battle royale; basically the same as regular battle royales, only it was done in groups. Along with the format, the Arena's administration had also published a set of guidelines regarding the oncoming tournament.

First of all, every group will consist of five people, and they must enter their names as a team. Secondly, the participants will be separated into numerous blocks, depending on number for the first round, where only three teams from each block will proceed to the second round. But to proceed, every team member has to survive the first round. If even one member is dropped out, they will not be allowed to proceed.

The teams who proceed to the second round will have one day to rest, and following that, they will participate in their second battle royale, which only one team will come out on top. The prizes changed every year, but if there was one thing everyone knew, it was that the prize was guaranteed to be worth the effort.

Once the notice came out, the excitement jumped up another level, with participants scrambling around to find others to form group.

Nimbly slipping through the crowd, Sling quickly headed for the registration counters at the gates that were being swamped by people. It was insanely hot amidst the crowd, with the morning sun beating down on them and the natural heat that radiated off people. Within minutes, Sling was already dripping with sweat, and his nose felt like it was about to fall off. God, the stench! Anyone could imagine what hell it was to be amongst a crowd of buff, sweaty males. Fortunately though, his torture didn't last long, thanks to his smaller stature that allowed him to bypass the crowd as fast as he could. Sling immediately headed to the closest counter, intent on putting his name down on the list.

He had just picked up the pen when a huge shadow fell over him. Dread bubbled up inside him with a thread of aggravation as the large hand grabbed him roughly.

And here he thought he would be able to make it through with so many people around…

Sighing inwardly, Sling looked up at the tall, beefy man wearing the Sun Arena's guard uniform.

"What do you want, Chew?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady and not cower in fear.

The man called Chew was a tall, muscular blonde man with thick lips which were turned down in a condescending smirk towards Sling. And did he mention this musclehead was also one of the most annoying people he'd ever had the "pleasure" of meeting, always picking on him for his physique.

Pulling the pen out of his hands, Chew started spinning it between his fingers. "Nothing much. Just on the lookout for scrawny brats trying to enter the tournament - like you."

"You doesn't belong here, squirt, " Chew sneered, looking down at the shorter teen. "Look at you, thin as a twig. Anyone here could snap you into two easily."

Two other guards behind him snickered at the insults thrown; obviously they thought the same of the teen.

Rolling his eyes, Sling made a grab for the pen. Those insults were really getting old, and the teen had long since learned to brush off comments from idiots with over inflated egos.

Noticing the teen's movements, Chew held his hand high up where it was out of Sling's reach. "Uh-uh. No way, shortie. Weaklings like you shouldn't be playing with the big guys here, y'know?"

Realising he wasn't going to get the pen back, Sling withdrew and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the guard. "And that's your business how?"

"Hey, I'm just lookin' out for ya! Don't want you losing in front of everyone and then going home to cry at mommy, do we? Oh wait, I forgot," Chew snickered. "YOU DON'T HAVE A MOM!"

Already the commotion had drawn the attention of the crowd, and they erupted into laughter at the Arena guard's words.

Sling lowered his head, teeth biting down hard on his lower lips and breathed deeply, trying to suppress the urge to run away. He was Sling, damn it! The genius slingshot sniper of North Phoenix.

...hella good that was in front of someone twice his size.

Still…

"At least I didn't turn out to be a jackass like you." Sling blurted out before he could stop himself. By the time he realised what he'd done, Chew had already gone red and was cracking his fists, ready to unleash a beating on him. The guy was never one who could take an insult.

"You wanna say that to my face again?" Chew said with a calm tone that didn't match the ire on his face, pulling his fist back.

Instinctively throwing his hands up to shield himself, Sling waited for the attack to come.

It never did.

A loud gasp sounded from the crowd as Chew fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

A hand reached down, plucking off the badge and name tag that represented his identity as an Arena guard from his armour.

"Chew, eh?" A woman's voice said, tossing the pin in her hand. "It seems an invitation to my office is in need."

Realising he was no longer in danger, Sling lowered his hands, finally seeing who his saviour was.

The crowd and Chew returned to their senses at the same time.

"Ms Koala!"

Koala, dressed in semi formal attire complete with heels and her signature cap, smiled brightly down at the fallen guard.

"Wouldn't you agree, Chew?

...

If Sling had known beforehand that he would be invited into the office of the Sun Arena's administrator, courtesy of Chew, he would have worn that other shirt that wasn't as washed-out.

But unfortunately, he did not and was currently seated at the couches available in his faded shirt and overalls, watching in silent awe as Chew got chewed out by one of the strongest women in Phoenix, his usual arrogance nowhere to be seen.

"…now, do you understand your mistake, Chew?" Koala asked, arms crossed over her ample chest as she stared at the guard who was standing stoically on the other side of her desk.

"…Yes, ma'am." Came the meek reply.

"And what is your mistake?"

"My mistake is picking on others and refusing them entry to the arena. The Sun Arena is open to all and by doing so I am misusing my authority as an arena guard."

"Very well. And what would be the appropriate disciplinary measure according to the Sun Arena's Staff Guidelines?"

"Violation of authority is to be dealt a month long suspension under supervision, a fine of 5000 beli, and demotion to any uncertain rank, depending on severity of case."

"Very good. Hatchan," Koala snapped her fingers, and the guard behind her immediately stood to attention. "Pick someone suitable to take charge of supervising Chew here. And Chew, make sure to hand in your uniform and badge to our Head of Security, Hack, on your way out. I'll see you in one month. You are dismissed."

As soon as the two guards left the room, the brunette rose from her desk and walked over to the sitting area, casually sitting down on the couch opposite Sling.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting... Sling, was it?" Koala politely inquired as she refilled the cup of tea in front of him, at the same time pouring one for herself.

"Actually," Sling replied a bit nervously. "It's Usopp. Sling is just a nickname I go by."

Koala nodded in acknowledgement. "Well then, nice to meet you, Usopp." She held her hand out towards Usopp. "I'm Koala, the Sun Arena's administrator, but you already knew that."

Usopp, highly aware that he was sweating buckets at the moment, grasped the offered hand hesitantly. When he noticed that Koala didn't seem to mind, he relaxed considerably.

"I-it's a p-pleasure to meet you, Ms Koala."

Not that it stopped him from stuttering.

"Relax, I won't bite." Koala joked, pulling her hand back. "So, before you were interrupted, I assume you were going to sign up for the tournament?"

"Y-yes?"

"Is that supposed to be a question?" The Arena Administrator cocked an eyebrow in amusement as she sipped her tea."Are you aware that this year's tournament will require you to be part of a team?"

"I've heard about it."

"Then do you have a team?" Crossing her legs, Koala leaned back into the couch.

"Sort of... ? I have a friend I was going to sign up with, but there's only two of us... "

"Hmm… it's fine if there's only two of you, but the ideal number would be five. Well, registration will be open for two more days, so you'll still have time to find people and put your name in."

"Yeah... I don't think that'll be possible though."

"Why not?"

"Umm... how to put it, me and my friend, we aren't exactly the most sociable people around? If we hadn't been neighbours, we wouldn't even have known each other."

"...I see." Koala looked thoughtful for a moment. She seemed to debate something for a while before directing a calculating gaze at Usopp. "Tell me, Usopp, what's yours and your friend's field of expertise...?"

* * *

The trip through Morsky was unusually uneventful. As a matter of fact, it was so smooth that it made Sabo even more uneasy than he had already been.

Doma had said that there were signs of activity in the ruined country, but they had already been here for the better part of two days, yet had seen no sign that indicated activity of any sorts.

Sabo glanced over his shoulders. Behind him, Marco and Doma were both trying hard not to grimace at the sights that surrounded them, and Sabo could wholly understand why. Despite the calm demeanor that he left on display, inside, he was tormented by the emotions he felt.

While he had expected this much, to see it with his own eyes was entirely another matter. A once rich land that, over the course of time, had been reduced to waste by a plague. Only, that wasn't all there was to it.

Sabo sighed inwardly, wondering -not for the first time- if bringing the crown prince and subsequently, the knight was a wise choice. The dangers this ruined land posed to the two was something beyond their knowledge, and although the mercenary had done his best to ensure their safety, he couldn't help second guessing himself at times.

The budding friendship he shared with the two didn't help his case either. The looks they directed at him everytime he refused to answer certain questions tended to make Sabo want to just come clean, though he never did succumb to the urge. Telling them everything was a lengthy effort, and one he felt unnecessary at the moment but knew they would find out soon.

All they needed to know for now was that they were here to find the cure for the king.

Later that afternoon, two days after crossing into Morskian lands, the group of three led by Sabo finally reached the midpoint of their journey - the city of Goa, second largest city in Morsky after Marineford, also the closest Morskian city to the Whitebeard Empire.

The city sat in the middle of a large plain, surrounded on all sides by a sturdy wall that rose 30 feet above the earth with four entrances located in each of the cardinal directions.

Before the plague, Goa had been a lively place, an interchange between the empire and the various Morskian cities. But now, like everything else they had come across during the last few days, Goa was a lifeless shell.

Sabo looked back at his companions, noting how they were starting to pale, obvious signs of tiring. "We'll take a rest in the city." He said, small sighs of relief escaping from the other two men as the words left him.

Over an hour had passed from when they spotted the city in the distance to when they finally reached the Southern Gates. At this point, Sabo decided to stay longer than he had first intended. Even though his two companions didn't show it, Sabo could tell they were obviously exhausted from almost two days of trekking, and frankly, he was too. Besides, while he did enjoy sleeping under the stars, it was just as nice to be able to get out of the elements. Furthermore, the winds had shifted earlier, and neither of them wanted to be caught in the storm that was sure to come sooner or later.

The Southern Gates stood wide and imposing, the metal crisscrossing to form the portcullis that barricaded the city. It would've been a sight to see despite all the rust, if not for the large hole in the lower right of the portcullis where the metal had obviously been cut and bent out of shape -signs that someone had broken into the city.

"Looks like we might be expecting company," Doma commented dryly.

"We might," Sabo agreed from where he was tweaking the metal a bit so their bags wouldn't snag on it when they pulled them through. Finally satisfied, the blonde mercenary pulled himself and his bag through the hole, then straightened and moved back to give his companions some space.

At that moment, a familiar symbol carved into the walls of the short corridor caught Sabo's eye.

A daisy with three feathers - the symbol of Goa. For some reason, Sabo felt like laughing all of a sudden. However, the urge went as quickly as it came, neither Marco nor Doma sensing the small shift in the mercenary.

As soon as all three of them had came through the hole, Sabo started leading them through the city with startling ease.

Marco and Doma picked up on it immediately.

"You seem quite familiar with the city, Sabo," Marco commented offhandedly, not expecting an answer from the mercenary. Presently, they seemed to be passing through what used to be Goa's central street, the many shops that lined the street giving it away. Marco had been here several times before, accompanying their father on diplomatic missions. Back then, when he passed through here, the streets were bustling with people; a stark contrast to the sight before him. Without the liveliness of the people, the place was near unrecognizable to prince.

"I am," Sabo -unexpectedly- answered, shooting them a questioning glance over his shoulders. "Hard not to be, considering I was born here."

Somewhat caught off guard by the unforeseen reply, Marco quickly recollected himself, years of etiquette lessons kicking in before he could make a fool of himself by gaping dumbly at his fellow blonde. Doma on the other hand, was openly surprised and didn't bother to hide it.

"I see," Marco responded smoothly. "I apologise. I didn't mean to pry."

"S'nothing." Sabo nonchalantly waved off his apology.

They continued walking after that, falling back into silence until Sabo came to a stop outside a large, fancy looking house surrounded on the perimeters by tall gates. The house -mansion really- was still in relatively good condition and Sabo pushed open one of the large doors at the front.

"This is…" Marco gaped slightly at Sabo's actions, recognizing the place where they were entering and wondering in the back of his mind if this counted as trespassing.

Not that there was anyone to stop them from doing it.

"The former Governor of Goa's home." Sabo said, for some reason putting emphasis on the word 'former' in an act of sardonicism. Marco picked up on it, but let it slide; everyone had their own story, and this place was obviously part of Sabo's. Doma, on the other hand, was a little less tactful.

"Is there a reason we're here?" The knight asked, eyeing the place searchingly for anything that could pose a threat. One could never be too careful, and with the crown prince here, Doma had taken it upon himself to look out for Marco's safety, even though the prince could handle himself well enough.

Discretely shooting a glance that suggested the knight was an idiot at said idiot, Sabo navigated the large house expertly, leading them directly through the multitude of halls to a large set of doors near the back of the house which led to the kitchens. Only then did he bother to answer Doma.

"Supplies," Sabo explained as he started opening cabinets and cupboards, anywhere that looked like it could store food. "Unless you think the little bit of water and rations left in your bags are going to last us to Marineford and back to Whitebeard."

While they had tried to pack enough to last them, there was still a limit to how much they could carry without the use of horses.

Remembering what little they had left in their bags, Marco and Doma silently started searching through the kitchen.

Yeah, that's what I thought. Sabo smirked as he registered the sounds of doors opening and closing behind him.

...

While he searched the kitchens, Marco secretly wondered if Sabo was perhaps closely connected with the former governor, or maybe related to him. It would certainly explain how the leader of the Dragon's Fury knew the layout of this place so well, as well as the way he carried himself that held the faintest hint of a sophistication usually only seen in the upper class.

He did say he was born here. Marco's head supplied. Who would've thought, huh?

...

Forty-five minutes later, Sabo, Marco and Doma gathered at one of the counters, piling everything they found on the table.

Picking through the small mountain of preserved foods, Sabo quietly marvelled at how little variety there was. Dried fruit, jam, pickles, jerky and candied fruit - that was all.

"Well, at least it's something."

"At least…"

"Better than nothing, I guess."

All three glared at the food with lifeless eyes.

* * *

Luffy was bored.

Very bored.

And a bored Luffy was never a good thing.

Unfortunately for the Whitebeard siblings, none of Luffy's comrades were around to tell them that.

Bored out of his mind, Luffy decided to explore the castle a bit. No reason not to, right? Besides, he'd just checked on the king a little less than an hour ago; his condition was stable, so there was no need for him to stick around.

Luffy started from the wing where the King's chambers were located, pushing doors open as quietly as he could and poking his head through them. Most of the rooms in that wing were the family's private quarters though, and the raven quickly lost interest, moving on to other parts of the castle.

His little adventure brought him to all sorts of places - the servants quarters, the kitchens (He found Sanji and Thatch testing recipes with an old man who had a cool-looking braided moustache.), the offices ("What are you doing here?" A surprised Blamenco looked up from his desk where he was being swamped by paperwork for the Solstice Festival. Luffy blinked, then grinned at him. "I'm exploring!"), and a few places the teen had no business being in. He'd almost been sent to the dungeons by a guard who'd caught him looking around the castle archives and suspected that he was an intruder. Almost. Lucky for Luffy, the seventh prince, Rakuyo just happened to pass by and promptly rescued the waywardly curious teen, sending him on his way after giving him an earful about running around the palace carelessly and handing him an official pass that he had been on his way to deliver.

Pulling the pass over his head to let it hang underneath his shirt, Luffy cheerily thanked Rakuyo and turned the corner to continue his exploration, leaving the prince to huff in mild exasperation behind him.

A few more turns later, Luffy found himself in a corridor that overlooked one of the palace courtyards.

Luffy thought he must be somewhere near the armoury, since he could hear the soldiers running through their drills and the sounds of swords clanging against each other from outside. Leaning over the railings to get a better look , he watched fascinatedly as the soldiers trained, their armour and swords gleaming beneath the sun.

His attention was completely held by the soldiers, until a presence brushed against the edge of his senses. Eyes widening in alert, Luffy turned towards the direction of the presence, where a large man carrying a plate of pies was just turning the corner.

Noticing the boy who was neither wearing a servant uniform or armour, the man narrowed his eyes and swiftly moved towards Luffy.

Luffy, still distracted by the familiarity of the man's presence, barely had time to move before the man was standing in front of him, looking down at the teen with suspicion clear in his eyes.

"Who are you?" The man asked sternly. Luffy stared at him, trying to place where he'd felt this presence before. He was sure he had felt it before somewhere, but couldn't for the life of him remember where!

"Who are you?" The man asked again when Luffy didn't answer, his almost snarling tone startling the teen out of his thoughts. "Uh..." Luffy's brain was straining itself to think of an excuse, and just as the man was about to ask again, it decided to play it safe and throw out the best card it had currently. "I was looking for my friend, Robin, but uh... I kinda got lost?"

He wasn't really, but at the moment she was the only person that came to mind. Luffy reminded himself to apologize to Robin later for using her as a shield. Although, what the black-haired teen told the man wasn't a lie... Not entirely, anyway. They were friends...

"Robin? You mean Lady Nico." Nodding his head quickly, Luffy beamed at the man, hoping he'd buy it and let him go. Unfortunately, the man didn't seem keen to let him off just yet. "Do you have a pass?"

At the reminder, Luffy remembered the card that Rakuyo had gave him earlier. The prince had said it was a pass, right...? Digging out the card, Luffy held it up to show the man, who visibly relaxed after inspecting the card.

"Should've brought this out earlier, kid." The man admonished as he let go of Luffy's pass and straightened, retrieving the plate he had left on the railings earlier. "If you're looking for Lady Nico, you should be looking in the library, not the armoury. That's where the lady always is if she's not with the family."

"Oh ok." Luffy turned to run off, but at the last minute remembered his manners and stopped short, turning back to the man. "Thanks!" And he sped off.

The mercenary kept his stride until he reached familiar territory - the royal's wing, before stopping to catch his breath.

"Luffy!" Not even a minute after he returned, Namur, who was sitting with their father today, came speeding towards him. The large, stocky man was visibly distressed, his brows heavily furrowed, causing Luffy to wonder what was going on to make him like that. "Where were you? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Grabbing the teen's arm the moment he came within range, Namur started to pull Luffy towards the king's chambers, explaining as they went.

"Pops just woke up." Not really one for lengthy explanations, Namur simply summarized the entire situation into four words. The most crucial four.

Hardly a second passed before their positions were reversed, and Namur was the one being dragged along. Eyes blown wide with shock, Luffy broke into a sprint, reaching the king's chamber in record time.

The doors were already wide open thanks to Namur, the guards still dutifully standing guard on both sides, and Luffy breezed right in, not even sparing the two guards who were bickering at the door a single glance.

He braked right next to the bed, and looked down.

Black eyes met yellow ones, and Luffy frowned.

"You shouldn't be awake, old man."

* * *

Well... once again, NO ACE. I'm sure some people probably want to wring me for that, but you guys'll just have to stay tuned for the next chapter.

So, anyone wanna share their thoughts?

Ps. It'd really be highly appreciated if you'd leave a review about the chapter. Your thoughts about it, any errors (if you find them), etc... I like reading them, sometimes I even get ideas from them.

(I'm so bad at writing A/N's... **Sigh** )

To Guest reviewers: Kindly use a nickname so I know who to address replies to.

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Pre-festivals part ll

**Beta'd by AlternateMirai. THNX SO MUCH :D**

 **Disclaimer: One Piece is Oda's not mine! I repeat, NOT MINE.**

 _Also, I AM SUPER SORRY I took half a year to update! Between work, my other stories, and moving abroad for college, I really didn't have a lot of time. :(_

 _That and I've been stuck on the Miraculous Ladybug fandom recently. Marinette and Adrien are just too adorable! Have a cookie if you agree!_

 ** _ps Just so you guys won't get confused, from this chapter on I'll be alternating between Luffy's side in Phoenix and Sabo's side in Morsky. This chapter is in Phoenix so the next will be in Morsky._**

 ** _Enjoy the chapter!_**

* * *

 _"... Hunters!..."_

 _"… Must… warn…"_

 _"Too… many… won't make…"_

 _"…Have to… go… capital… find…"_

 _"…Can't… leave… behind…"_

 _"You… last hope… find…"_

 _"… Come…for… promise…"_

…

He was barely hanging onto consciousness by the time he washed ashore.

 _It's probably a beach_ , he thought hazily. He could feel the sand underneath him, the water lapping at him, and the scorching sun that shone high above.

He had no idea how long he'd been drifting in the water; his mind had been overflowing with the echoes of his comrades' cries as a raging inferno engulfed their home, razing it to the ground.

Mustering the last of his strength, he pulled himself from the water, far away from the ocean which threatened to drag him back into its lightless depths.

And then darkness descended on him.

…

"Oh? What do we have here?"

 _: It would seem to be a dwarf, if I am not mistaken._

"Indeed, it is. But the little one is quite some ways from home, no?"

 _: He smells of the sea, but..._

"The little one appears to be unconscious, but unharmed. At the very least, there are no visible wounds—"

 _: —but we don't know for sure. We should bring him with us. It'll be safer for him._

"Of course we will. After all, one can never be too cautious. Besides, we can't just leave him here out in the open."

 _: ...This does not bode well, does it?_

"No, it doesn't. Troubling times are upon us, I fear."

* * *

Darkness gave way to light as heavy eyelids slowly opened, staring unfocused into blank space.

 _Where…?_

Exerting more effort than expected, Edward Newgate blinked as his mind returned to consciousness.

The feel of soft linen all around him registered in his mind as it gradually reoriented itself, alerting the elderly king of his whereabouts. The sheets felt warm under him, and he could feel the weight of a blanket that was pulled up to his shoulders.

Newgate opened his mouth to speak, but what came out instead was a weak, raspy croak and a realisation of how parched his mouth and throat felt.

There was also a lingering, metallic taste in his mouth.

A sudden movement from his right drew his attention, and not a moment later, a familiar face full of concern appeared in his sight — black eyes blown wide with shock and slack-jawed as they took in the yellow eyes looking back at him.

"P-pops?" Namur stuttered in surprise. His grasp slackened and the book that he had been holding fell to the ground.

Newgate attempted to speak again.

"Wa… ter…" the king rasped, trying to sit up but failed to find the strength to move his limbs.

"R-right. Right. Water." The eighth prince snapped back to reality and rushed to pour some from a pitcher that had been sitting on the nightstand. Leaving the water on the stand, Namur gently helped Newgate up and adjusted the pillows to prop him up comfortably before handing him the glass. Namur kept a firm hand under it, holding it steady for his father to slowly drink from.

Another two glasses of water later, Newgate finally felt his throat lose that annoying, scratchy feeling and his voice return to its usual, deep bass.

"How are you feeling, Pops?" His son asked, setting the glass down.

Newgate smiled wearily. "Tired." Exhausted was probably more fitting, considering he didn't even have enough strength to lift his hand.

"That's to be expected," Namur chuckled. "You've been in a coma for almost three weeks, and even before that, you had been on bedrest already."

"A coma?"

"Long story. Although I'm not sure I have the entire story." The last part the prince muttered as he leaned down to tug the blanket higher up the bed. "Will you be alright on your own for a short while?"

Newgate somehow mustered a small, teasing grin. "Got somewhere to be, son?"

Namur gave him a look that said, _'Not what you're thinking'._

"Hardly. I just need to get someone and send for Dr. Kureha. And I'm sure our family will want to know that you've woken, otherwise I may have to face their combined wrath."

With an understanding look on his face, the king watched as his son rushed out, only pausing to tell the guards (Why were there guards outside his bedroom anyway?) something he couldn't hear and disappear behind the doors.

Shifting his attention back to himself, Newgate noticed something suddenly. In the air was a distinct, if really faint, smell.

One that the king was familiar with.

There was no way he could mistake that sweet, metallic scent as anything other than blood.

But **_why_**?

Lost in his thoughts, Edward Newgate almost didn't notice when a young man, barely out of his teens, skidded to a stop next to his bed, a look of utter disbelief plastered on his face.

Startled by the sudden appearance of the teen, Newgate looked up, his yellow eyes meeting the teen's black ones.

 ** _"You shouldn't be awake, old man."_**

…

"Who are you, boy?" Newgate turned to see the black-haired teen better, looking him over with a weary but experienced eye. The young man was unassuming on the outside, but Newgate had been a king for decades — he could easily tell that the teenager in front of him was more than he seemed at first, and it piqued the king's interest.

"Pops!" Namur rose from the floor where Luffy had dumped him, rubbing his behind as he introduced the two. "This is Luffy. He's a mercenary from the Dragon's Fury."

That fact only served to fuel Newgate's interest in Luffy as he recalled what he knew of the group. Which was only as much as everyone else, really.

Even before this sickness that befell him, Newgate had already been slowly preparing to retire from the throne. Most of his work had been passed on to Marco. While he did keep himself updated with the latest going-ons of his kingdom, sometimes things just passed under his radar. Him getting ill did not help either, because his children flat out refused to allow him to worry more than was healthy.

Before more could be said, Luffy reached out and pressed his palm against Newgate's forehead.

Luffy's hand was warm against his skin, and Newgate kept his silence, waiting to see what the mercenary was up to.

"Weird. The seal is working fine, but..." The teen mumbled, too low for either royal to hear him clearly. Nevertheless, they could tell something was bothering him.

"Is something the matter?" Namur asked, and Luffy shook his head.

"Go back to sleep, old man." He straightened, pulling his hand back. "You're still weak now."

Newgate wasn't sure if the boy had done anything, however, after he'd told him to return to sleep, the king felt his eyelids grow heavier and the darkness started to pervade his vision.

Just before he fell completely into the abyss, a curiously familiar voice sounded within his mind.

* * *

Even as he ran down the streets, Usopp still couldn't believe what had happened earlier had actually happened.

It felt so surreal, really; an hour ago, the teen would never have imagined how a simple act such as standing up to his long-time bully would affect his foreseeable future.

All he had done was go to the arena to enter the tournament, but somehow, he'd been offered a much better chance than he'd expected.

And it was —ironically— all thanks to Chew.

Trying and failing to stifle a laugh, Usopp wondered what his friend would think when she heard about it.

Knowing her, she'd probably find it as amusing as he did.

Usopp raced through the city, arriving at the bazaar near the city centre and headed straight for a small shop wedged between a bookstore and a diner, where he was positive his friend would be at that time.

As expected, he found his friend, a girl with bright orange hair, nibbling on a slice of tangerine behind the counter. A plate laden with the fruit sat off to the side, and Usopp was sure there was still plenty where that came from.

After all, this was a fruits shop.

"Nami!" He called out, drawing her attention.

"Oh, Usopp. It's you. Hi." The girl, Nami returned his greeting through a mouthful of tangerines. "What's up?"

"Are you seriously asking that?" Usopp deadpanned as he braked to a stop next to the counter. "Today's the day, remember?"

Nami scoffed. "Of course I remember." She pinched another slice and held the remainder up to Usopp. "I also remember you saying that you'll take care of entering both of us. Want any?"

He thanked her and took a slice. "And I did. But I ran into Chew again."

"What'd he do this time?" Nami's eyes narrowed as she started scanning her friend for any injuries, though Usopp was quick to wave her worries away.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" she echoed incredulously.

"Nothing." Usopp reassured her. "Well, he did try, but someone stopped him."

"Who?"

"The arena administrator." Usopp said simply, and Nami's eyes widened. "By arena administrator… you don't mean Koala?!"

The lanky teen grinned widely at his friend`s surprised face.

"YES, I DO!"

"Wow…"

An old lady came over and handed Nami a basket loaded with assorted fruits. The redhead moved automatically, weighing the different fruits and calculating the total, all the while listening intently as her friend recounted his earlier experience.

"So, after she stopped him, both he and I were brought to her office. Man, I never thought I'd see the day Chew get _chewed_ out." Usopp laughed at his pun.

"Don't make stupid puns, Usopp." Nami smacked him, "What happened after that?" She asked as she put the fruits in a bag and handed over change to the old lady before waving her goodbye.

"Okay, okay. So, for now, Chew's been suspended. But that's not important, what's important is that Koala wants to see the both of us!"

"Huh? Why would she?" Nami stared incredulously.

"Well, apparently this year's tournament will be held in teams." Usopp explained. "I told her there were only the two of us, so we probably wouldn't enter anymore, then she asked me what our specialties were, so I told her a bit. Then she told me to come get you and go back in an hour."

"What does she want with us?"

"I have no idea, but it wouldn't hurt to find out."

…

 _On second thought, maybe it would._

Usopp and Nami tensed as they were led by Koala's assistant —a pink-haired girl called Rebecca— to where the administrator was apparently waiting for them.

And she wasn't alone.

The Arena was larger than Usopp and Nami had thought it would be, and it took them a good fifteen minutes to walk from the gates to a shooting range, where Koala and three men with black, green and blonde hair respectively were talking. There was also a younger boy around Usopp's age with messy brown curls amongst them.

All eyes were immediately on them the moment they approached.

Usopp was getting nervous —and somewhat excited now, and not because of what Koala had in mind, whatever that was. It was actually because of the blonde man standing next to her.

It had been some time since he last saw the blonde, but Usopp would know those weirdly curled eyebrows anywhere. He didn't actually know the man, but he had seen him around the city often, and through others had learnt that the blonde was a palace cook.

Although the reason why Usopp remembered him was because the blonde had saved him once, a few years ago.

"Great! You're here!" Koala smiled as she came up to them, interrupting his reverie as she introduced the two teens. "These two are the ones I just told you about. Usopp," She gestured to the two. "And Nami."

The black-haired teen stepped up to them, holding a hand out with a large grin on his face. "Hi, I'm Luffy!"

The green-haired, more gruffy-looking man gave them a sweeping look and grunted in reply. "Zoro."

The brown-haired teen waved and smiled timidly before ducking behind the one called Luffy.

"That's Chopper. Don't mind him, he's just a bit...shy." Koala smiled reassuringly.

The blonde man had more to say. _A bit too much_ , Usopp thought, grimacing at the way Sanji, as he'd introduced himself fawned over Nami. He'd seen the former cook in action before, but never up close… There was a sound of something shattering, and Usopp thought that something might've been his image of Sanji,

Koala stepped in before Nami could snap and land a punch on the leech who'd been annoying her for a while and explained the situation to the two teens.

"Like I've explained to Usopp before, with your current levels, you won't survive the tournament, where it's mostly an everything-goes brawl. But as I've been told, you two have a goal in mind, and what I'm about to offer you is about the only way you will be able to achieve that goal."

She swept her hand out towards the three older men.

"These three gentlemen will be partaking in the tournament. They're all veteran fighters, but their specialties lie in close-range combat. And this is where you two come in, as mid-range and long-range combatants. I've already discussed the issue with them, and they've agreed for you to join their team."

Before either of them could speak up, Koala held up a hand, silencing them.

"But! Only if your combat abilities are up to par."

For a moment, Nami wondered if the older woman was insulting them or not.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" The orange-haired girl asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"For starters, You," Koala smiled at Nami. "Will be facing my assistant, Rebecca, in a spar with Zoro referring."

"And me?" Usopp quickly added, feeling a little left out for whatever reason.

Sanji pulled out his cigarettes, holding it in between his fingers. "You'll be using the archery range over there. I'll be referring you."

"Ehhh? What about me?" Luffy whined. Both Zoro and Sanji got to supervise someone. What about him?

Koala rolled her eyes exasperatedly, but everyone could see the fondness that shone in her auburn eyes.

"Since Sabo isn't here, you're the leader. So, you have to watch both."

"Oh. Okay."

* * *

"Do you have a weapon?" Sanji asked Usopp as they made their way to the other side of the range, where it opened out into a wide field dotted with targets at varying distances and positions.

Usopp held up a slingshot, showing it to the blonde. "I have this."

Sanji eyed it curiously but didn't comment on it. The teen's choice of weapon was rather interesting, though not quite surprising according to what they'd heard from Koala. Not that it mattered all that much if the teen could use it efficiently, given that their leader himself had a rather odd choice of arms as well.

"Ammunition?"

"Pellet balls." Usopp gestured at the pouch around his waist, and Sanji nodded, pointing at the field.

"Hit those." The blonde pointed out ten random targets.

...

A minute later, all the above targets had a small black ball embedded into their centre.

Sanji raised his brows, pleasantly surprised as the range's staff reported back the results via den den mushi. The long-nosed teen had both speed and accuracy, and Sanji found himself wanting to give him a challenge to find his limits.

The blonde grinned, and pointed out another ten, this time much farther. Usopp didn't disappoint, hitting all with pinpoint accuracy. The same went for the next round, with the targets at the edge of the field, almost out of sight.

"You're pretty good." Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. Usopp blushed, not quite used to receiving praise from others with a small thank you.

"But let's see how you do versus a moving target, eh?"

Before Usopp could react, Sanji disappeared in a blur. Not a moment later, he felt a foot connect with his stomach and he flew backwards, hitting the fence and tumbling over it into the grass below.

Recovering his bearings, Usopp looked up at Sanji, confusion written on his face. The blonde smirked down at him.

"This is the real test."

…

Nami wasn't doing much better. During the spar, Rebecca had switched out her sword for a wooden one to match Nami's staff. At Zoro's signal to start, the two girls began circling each other, both waiting for the other to move. Deciding to take the initiative, Nami struck first, sweeping her staff in a low arc to catch the other girl's legs. Rebecca saw it coming and nimbly jumped over the staff, twisting in the air and bringing her sword down on Nami's as she landed behind her.

Nami instinctively blocked, only to realize that Rebecca was no longer behind her at the same moment a wooden sword hit her right thigh hard enough to throw off her balance.

"Too slow," The orange-haired girl heard her opponent say as she stumbled. "If it had been a real sword you would've lost a leg already."

Her eyes narrowed.

 _Seven o'clock._

Nami jabbed her staff from underneath her arm harshly, eliciting a satisfying grunt from the girl behind her.

Rebecca's retaliation came quickly, her sword flashing as she parried Nami's staff and managed to get a hit in on her waist.

They went back and forth for a while, before Rebecca got under Nami's guard and successfully disarmed her, the staff clattering to the ground a few feet away.

"Yield." Nami forced out, staring cross-eyed at the sword at her throat.

Smiling, Rebecca withdrew her sword and stepped away. "Not bad."

"Thanks." Nami returned as Koala's assistant handed back her staff. "I thought your name sounded familiar. You're the Phantom Princess, aren't you?"

Rebecca grinned.

…

Koala and Luffy stood to the side, watching the steadily intensifying spars on both sides. "What do you think, Luffy?" She asked, watching her friend as his dark eyes darted between Sanji vs Usopp and Nami vs Rebecca. "They're really something, aren't they?"

Luffy laughed. "I like them!"

"Of course you do." Koala smiled wryly. "Think they can keep up?"

The black-haired teen frowned, staring hard at the two younger teens.,

"Usa-"

"Usopp."

"Right." Luffy scratched his head. "He'll be fine, I think."

"And Nami?"

"I like her, but…"

"She's kind of...weak?" Koala supplied. "Hand-to-hand combat isn't really her strong point, apparently."

Luffy nodded hesitantly.

"Yet she's holding up pretty well against Rebecca, don't you think?" The administrator pointed out as they watched Nami whacked Rebecca in the middle before jumping aside to dodge a blow from above.

Luffy blinked at her owlishly once, and then twice, before he turned back to watch the matches.

"She'd be killed immediately." He said as Rebecca pried the staff out of Nami's grip.

Mirth twinkled in Koala's brown eyes. "But you'll protect her, won't you?"

…

Nami and Usopp slumped against each other, both tired out considerably. Chopper was by their side in a flash, worriedly checking over them for any injuries while Koala handed them two bottles of water, which they gulped down gratefully.

"So... how'd we do?" The orange-haired girl panted, out of breath from her spars with Rebecca. Usopp cast a glance towards Koala, but her expression gave nothing away, so he shifted his gaze onto the four who had tested them.

They were deep in conversation a little ways away from them, far enough that most of the discussion couldn't be heard.

Koala crouched down next to them. "What do you guys think?"

"They—"

"Are—"

""Amazing.""

Koala beamed. "They are, aren't they?"

Just then, Luffy and the others came over, and Nami and Usopp shared a nervous look, awaiting their verdicts.

Luffy grinned excitedly, exchanging looks with Zoro and Sanji, who were just as excited but were subtler about it.

"Join our team!"

Then Usopp shrieked as Chopper suddenly pressed an alcohol swab to a rather nasty cut on his arm.

* * *

Koala having unfinished work, left shortly after, and Rebecca went with her, leaving Luffy with his comrades and their two new teammates.

No one spoke, and the silence was interrupted only when Luffy's stomach started growling in protest.

"So... lunch, anyone?"

…

Half an hour later, the group of five ended up in the Arena's mess hall, at a table in the corner with trays piled high with food in front of them after Chopper had tended to their wounds before leaving hurriedly, saying he had to get back to his teacher.

The mess hall was a big, rectangular space, vast enough to accommodate the number of people working in the arena, and there were doors on every side. On the far end, a counter took up the entire length of the wall, and large double doors that obviously led to the kitchens swung open and close as the staff came and went. There was a line in front of the counter, each person with a tray in hand as they moved along to get their food.

In the hall, Nami spotted many well-known figures, including the legendary Kyros, who was talking with a familiar pink-head on the other side of the hall. Nami had wondered about that and was shocked when Luffy revealed that Kyros and Rebecca were father and daughter while her mother ran a flower shop downtown. Nami wondered offhandedly if she perhaps knew Rebecca's mom, maybe she could ask for a name later? The redhead made a mental note to get to know the other girl more — she seemed nice, and it would be great to have another girl to speak with other than her sister; for some reason, all her friends were guys and that didn't include Luffy, Zoro or Sanji. Not that she had many friends to begin with.

"So, where're you guys from?" Nami broke out of her thoughts to find the opposite trays all empty, while her and Usopp's were only halfway through. Actually, she had less than that, while Usopp had barely touched his plate. Her friend had been rather absent-minded since earlier, and Nami had no idea what was going on with him.

Luffy had been the one who spoke, arms resting on the table as he looked at the younger two curiously.

"We're both locals," Usopp replied, pushing aside the mushrooms on his plate. "We grew up together in the Northern Sector."

"How old are you?" Zoro piped in, a bottle of alcohol in hand. It looked like quality stuff, but Nami didn't really know much about alcohol. Her older sister had forbidden her from alcohol until she was of legal age, though it wasn't many days until her eighteenth birthday was due.

"I'm turning eighteen next month," she offered. "Usopp's seventeen."

Luffy laughed. "I'm nineteen! And Zoro and Sanji are twenty-one." He paused for a moment, his head tilting in a thoughtful manner. "Koala is...twenty-three? I think she's one year older than Sabo, and he's twenty-two."

"Who's Sabo?" Usopp asked, Nami seconding the question.

"Sabo is Luffy's brother, and our leader," Sanji answered, pushing his empty tray aside. "Currently he's away on a... mission, though we don't know when he'll be back."

Nami noticed the blonde shooting Luffy an annoyed look when he mentioned the whereabouts of the leader but pushed it away. It wasn't her business anyhow.

Next to her, Usopp was still playing with his food and it was frankly getting on her nerves.

Luffy had noticed it too, apparently. "Usopp, are you going to eat that?" he asked, eyeing the food.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am." Usopp, startled by the sudden question, quickly shoved a spoonful to prove his point.

"Why'd you guys want to join the tournament?" Zoro asked, setting his alcohol down. "You don't normally see a lot of long-range fighters in these kinds of events."

"I hate to say this, but I agree with Moss-head over here. Long-rangers tend to be at a disadvantage, especially if you're long-ranged AND inexperienced."

Nami traded a look with Usopp, unsure whether she wanted to reveal their motives. Usopp nodded back at her, which she took to mean that he trusted them. Usually, she wouldn't trust him on most things, but when it mattered, his instincts were generally correct.

"We need the money." She started. "Our families aren't too well off and well…"

"A bit too optimistic, don't you think?" Zoro raised a brow in question, and Nami and Usopp blushed furiously. They hadn't thought much of it at the time, but in hindsight, they really were a tad bit too optimistic to think they could make their way through the tournament on their own and grab the prize.

Luffy grinned widely. "That's alright. You're our teammates now! We'll help you!"

Nami wondered about that, but she didn't have a chance to voice her questions because at that moment, Koala appeared at their table, a serious look on her face.

"Luffy!" She held out a sealed letter. "It's for you."

* * *

Even with so much going on around them, the upper brass of the kingdom still needed to attend meetings. No one liked meetings, but they were necessary, especially this one since the topic of debate was of utmost importance.

In the council room, the royal family were seated on one side of the long table, whereas the various ministers and officials sat opposite them with the prime minister Lord McGuy, heading the meeting in place of the king and crown prince.

As of this moment, everyone was listening attentively as Namur, who oversaw diplomatic activities, gave his report.

"The envoy from Totto Land will be arriving tomorrow."

Simultaneous groans rose from every corner of the room.

"Pleaseeeee tell me none of the little ones will be coming." Thatch moaned as he face-planted into the table, recalling the chaos that had happened last year.

Namur replied as he held up a piece of parchment. "As stated in Ambassador Pekoms' letter, in addition to him and Baron Tamago who will serve as the emissaries, eleven members of the royal family will be coming." Namur handed off the paper, so the others could read what was written.

"He's even included a name list this time, 'so we can be prepared' to quote him," Namur said flatly and turned to Thatch. "Unfortunately, the little ones are on the list."

Just as Thatch was about to moan to the heavens about his 'impending doom', Namur interrupted him. "But this year, it is Prince Katakuri who will be bringing them, along with Prince Yuen, Prince Moscato, Prince Anglais, Princess Galette, Princess Poire, Princess Praline, Princess Pudding, and Princess Flampe, Princess Myukuru, and Princess Anana."

"The second prince?" The eleventh prince, Kingdew rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he recalled the handful of times he'd met the man. Prince Katakuri was, for lack of a better word, a strict man. He had a very serious, no-nonsense demeanour, and often came off as cold. But he was also an honourable and disciplined man. "If he's coming then I imagine the little ones wouldn't dare act out as much as when Prince Cracker brought them last year."

The council couldn't help but agree. Everyone present had met the second prince at some point, and they all knew what the man was like. It would be fine...probably.

They were just glad it wasn't Prince Cracker. Even Princess Smoothie was preferable. At least she would be mature enough to keep her family in check instead of encouraging their younger siblings… 'mischievous' endeavours.

Blenheim sighed at the thought of the **_headaches_** that would be arriving soon. "At any rate, procedures aside, remember to keep all rooms —especially the armoury, the offices and the library— locked except the throne room and the dining hall. I for one, do not want a repeat of last year."

The sentiment was shared by everyone in the room.

Last year was… mildly put, a disaster. The four youngest of the Charlotte Royal Family had caused a massive uproar, inside and outside of the castle when they had come along for the festival.

The punk-ish boy was all over the place being a huge pain, the balloon-obsessed twins had put up balloons **_everywhere_** and the youngest girl had gone all around bursting said balloons. And that had only been the tip of the iceberg.

All the while, Prince Cracker was laughing his head off as he watched the mayhem unfold.

The disturbance had eventually escalated to a scale where it was a miracle that the festival hadn't been postponed, and suffice to say, the Whitebeards hadn't been too happy with the commotion.

The four brats had not only intruded into the castle armoury and somehow managed to knock everything onto the floor, they'd also got into the offices, messing up all the papers to the extent that it'd taken the officers nearly two weeks to straighten out. And that was only the important ones. Then they'd moved on to the library and almost tore down an entire shelf of old scrolls which Robin had been studying at the time. And worst of all, they'd very nearly destroyed the Jubilee Cake that Thatch and Zeff had been working on for days.

Izo had been utterly furious and was only prevented from attacking the visiting royals thanks to the combined efforts of her brothers. They couldn't blame her though, she was the head of operations for the kingdom's events and the brats had almost undermined all her hard work for the festival.

They were just lucky that the four youngest royals hadn't managed to get into the Sun Arena, though from what the director, Jinbe had told them, they'd came close.

The brats were caught and brought back to the castle, detained in one of the sitting rooms with an entire squad of knights watching their every movement.

The matter had only been resolved when Prince Perospero had come in person to apologise for his siblings' outrageous acts and taken responsibility for all the damages caused, offering to shoulder the costs of repair.

King Edward had let them off then, with a stern warning that the children would be banned from the empire should their actions be repeated in the future.

Izou muttered darkly. "I swear, if those unruly brats dare to disrupt the festival again, Charlotte or not, I WILL hang them from a chandelier until they are due to leave."

"Let's hope it will not come to that," McGuy said, "We don't want to strain our relationship with Totto Land too much."

Izo rolled her eyes, and McGuy sigh, knowing well that gesture meant that she would comply, but she would also hold true to her words should the visiting royals cause a ruckus again.

"Keep them out of the kitchens and I won't have a problem." Thatch added. "I nearly had a heart attack when they ran into the cake stand last year!"

"We know." Everyone in the room chorused. And they did, really.

"Maybe we should post guards outside all the important areas." Vista suggested, stroking his moustache. "Just in case."

The council voice their agreements once more, and they proceeded to other matters, allowing for the empire's ministers to submit their reports.

Two hours later, the meeting adjourned.

...

In two days, the Solstice Festival would begin. And counting down, six days until the summer solstice.

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading~!_**

 _I'll be honest, it took me forever to hash out this chapter. Well, maybe not exactly forever but I was busy writing the draft for chapter 5 while I waited for AlternateMirai to finish beta-reading this chapter. And when I was halfway done with chapter 5 I noticed the timeline was a bit weird in some places so I went back to check and ended up making a timeline of sorts to help me clear things up. Guess what? By the time I was done with the timeline I was asking myself **WTH am I doing?** Ironic, isn't it? I wrote this stuff but I myself got confused by it :D_

 _I actually didn't plan on making McGuy the prime minister, y'know? But I was writing the meeting part and was almost done when I remembered kingdoms are supposed to have ministers and officials who share the work, so I went and added them, but then I was like, wait I think there's supposed to be someone leading the meeting. Usually it'd be Marco but he isn't here...in the end I pulled up the One Piece wiki and went through the list of Whitebeards' Allied Crews and boom! McGuy looked like Prime Minister material, so I just gave him the spot XD_

 _Aaaaaand I'm spouting nonsense but I have no one to share all these thoughts with since the friends I used to share them with are in other countries, and none of my college friends share my love for One Piece. QAQ_

 _Anyway, feel free to drop a review anytime. I'll have you know they are highly appreciated ;)_

 _And now I'm gonna hurry up with chapter 5 and catch up with Ladybug and Chat Noir because Voltron is waiting for me~_


	5. Imminence

**Too lazy to write anything and I'm kinda brain dead. School starts in ten days.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece and any associated characters.**

* * *

In the dead of the night, a figure noiselessly crept away from the warmth of dying embers, slipping out of the door into the shadows of unlit corridors with quiet ease.

The moment Sabo's presence faded completely, Marco pushed himself up by his elbows, eyes narrowed in the direction which his fellow blonde disappeared.

On the other side of the fire, the captain of the Lyrid Knights, and Marco's temporary bodyguard, Doma, did the same, a hand instinctively grasping the sword that rested by his side.

"No need for that, Doma." Marco noticed his action and remarked lightly. "I doubt anything is going to happen to us."

Doma rolled his eyes. "You'd think you would be more cautious in a place you don't know, especially when there's someone neither of us know very well around." He rebutted, but nevertheless relaxed.

The captain of the knights sat up on his mat, throwing a few sticks from the pile he had gathered from the garden earlier into the fire to build it up again. Within moments, the embers had grown into a beacon of warmth, illuminating the small room their party had decided to camp out in.

It had been a day room of sorts, judging from the furniture. There had been a assortment of couches and seats littered around the room together with low tables and cupboards, but they had all been pushed against the walls to make space. Even the carpet had been rolled up and thrown in a corner, so they could build a fire without accidentally burning anything else.

Originally, however, Doma had suggested moving the couches into a triangle and building a fire in between. No matter what, sleeping on a couch was definitely more comfortable than sleeping on the cold, hard floor. But when Sabo casually commented that someone might have died on those couches, that idea was immediately thrown out the figurative window.

As much as they were a fearless bunch, neither of them really wanted to sleep on furniture that people may or may not have passed away on. Even though the lack of skeletons in the room suggested otherwise.

Marco sat up as well, looking into the fire where the light from the flames were reflected in his blue eyes.

"Where do you think Sabo went?" Doma asked, mirroring the crown prince and staring into the fire.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Marco answered, shifting to rest his head on his palm. "Although I'm pretty sure he knew we weren't asleep."

Doma snorted. "When does he not know anything?"

After being in the mercenary's company for over two days -and over a week for Marco- the two Whitebeardians had sort of gotten a grip on what kind of a person Sabo was. First off, the guy was a know-it-all. Literally. It's like there was never anything that he didn't know. He had a tendency to blurt out random facts when things got quiet, and he was smart, though he didn't really look the part. Although considering his job, it was probably a given that he had to be knowledgeable about a lot of things. Not to mention half of his members were total muscleheads.

He was very observant, and loved playing the 'mysterious' role, something that positively annoyed Marco and Doma to no end. Especially when he refuses to answer any of their questions except the absolutely useless ones, dodging their questions with amazing ease.

Marco sighed. "So…what do you think about him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," The prince explained, "Apart from some basic information, we don't know who 'Sabo' is at all. In the first place, we only got into contact with the Dragon's Fury because Kureha said that they were the only ones who could possibly help us with Pops' illness. Haruta was in charge of contacting them, so I'm not very clear on how he did it, but a week after that meeting, he suddenly showed up with Sanji and claimed that Pops was cursed. Then he left to come to Morsky, I came with him, and you know the rest."

"He's reliable, at least." Doma pinched a slice of dried apple from the supplies they had salvaged earlier. "It's true that we don't know him that well, but he's a great man as far as I'm concerned. Most anyone wouldn't willingly come into a wasteland like this with two extras—" He gestured to himself and Marco. "—even if they had other personal motives."

"Should I be offended that you just called me an extra?"

"I called myself one as well, didn't I?"

"You're insufferable and I should have you condemned for disrespecting royalty." Marco huffed and laid back down, resting his head on his pack.

"I apologise, your Highness," Doma bowed, or did his best to do so while sitting down. "But what would the other princes do without their favourite poker buddy?"

"I'm sure they could find someone else to be their favourite."

"Ouch. That burns, Marco."

"We should rest." The prince closed his eyes, turning away from the fire. "We have a long day ahead of us."

Doma nodded. "I'll stay up a little longer."

* * *

Despite the darkness that engulfed the corridors, Sabo navigated through them as if he were in broad daylight.

The room they had made camp in was in the west wing of the mansion, and for what he was about to do, Sabo had to go up to the top floor where the stairs that led up to the roof was located. The heavy trapdoor that opened onto the roof was locked, a large chain dangling from it, a matter that Sabo fixed within heavy trapdoor that opened onto the roof was locked, to Sabo's resigned dismay. Closer inspection revealed however that the locking mechanism had, in its many years of unuse, rusted away to the point that he broke it easily with his dagger.

He pushed it open and stepped out onto the roof.

A half-moon shone in the inky sky, barely illuminating the mansion through the clouds. The roof was wide open, a low parapet surrounding it on all sides.

The mercenary stood silently in the billowing wind and raised his right hand towards the moon, muttering softly under his breath. Slowly, the moonlight started to shift, bending and twisting around his outstretched hand.

In one swift motion, Sabo waved his hand in a large circle and withdrew it. The circle of moonlight rippled, and then grew misty before clearing again.

 _Ah, Sir Sabo. Lovely night, is it not?_ A voice like a deep ripple greeted.

"Nice to see you too, Brook. And I've told you plenty of times before, just call me Sabo."

Sabo grinned as a figure appeared in the circle before him. The person on the opposite side of the circle, Brook, was tall and bony with a large afro, dressed in traditional minstrel garbs.

Brook laughed heartily as he strummed his fiddle. _I have told you plenty of times as well, old habits die hard!_

"It sounds weird!" The blonde protested weakly. This had been a long-standing discussion between the two, certain to be voiced whenever they spoke or met, and which Sabo had yet to win.

 _If you say so, Sir Sabo._ Brook laughed again as he emphasized the honorific, eliciting a groan from Sabo.

"You're incorrigible and I hate you. At any rate, I apologize for not being able to answer you earlier. I had company."

 _It's quite alright. You are a busy man, after all—well, far more than I am anyway—and I would not interrupt you for any lesser matter._ Brook ignored the jibe and reassured the younger man before turning serious. _However, earlier today I came across something troubling, and I fear what it may mean for us._

Sabo frowned. "What do you mean?" Brook was rarely one for such seriousness, and it always brought about a sense of ominousness for the blonde.

 _This morning, one of the dwarf-kind was washed ashore on the south-west coast of the Whitebeard Empire. We found him unconscious on the edge of the water and took him with us. He has no injuries that I could see, but Laboon says that beneath the scent of the sea, he could also smell fire, smoke and blood._

"You don't think that the dwarf-kind could have been attacked?"

 _I cannot say for sure, but the land of dwarves has always been a peaceful, if isolated place. It is frankly unfathomable that any would bear such kind creatures ill intent._ Brook replied, a frown creeping onto his face. Sabo agreed completely; the dwarves were kind to the point of naivety that most no one would even bother harming them. However, there was an exception...

"True enough, unless we are speaking about **them**."

 _You don't suppose that they…?_

"I don't know, but it is highly possible."

 _And yet they have been inactive for decades! Why would they start now?_

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that, but I think it would be best if we look into it. There is no solid proof, or even anything to suggest it, but the attack on the dwarves may very well have something to do with the recent downfall of Morsky. I take it you've heard of the incident?"

 _Indeed, I have. A tragic fate, I must say. It is quite unbelievable that a plague could ruin a country to such an extent._

"It would be unbelievable, if it were actually a plague that caused this."

 _It's not?_

Sabo shook his head. "No, it's not. I have had suspicions when it first fell to ruin, and I am currently looking into this matter."

Since they first met, Brook had learned to always read between the lines where Sabo was concerned, and immediately discerned what 'looking into' actually meant. _You are in Morsky?_

"Yes, but Luffy has remained in Phoenix with our two comrades, if you are headed there now."

 _I see. I shall meet up with Sir Luffy, then, and let him know what is going on. I should be able to reach Phoenix within three days._

"I'll let him know you'll be coming."

 _That would be best. I do look forward to seeing him again. His enthusiasm is indeed a refreshing breeze for these old bones. _Brook laughed.

"I think Laboon would beg to differ." Sabo snorted. "If you could let the Council know of this, it would be a great help. I don't think I can possibly sneak in a summon to them during the day, and I know for a fact that they wouldn't appreciate me calling in the middle of the night."

 _Of course, but I must rest now if I am to continue my journey tomorrow. Farewell, Sir Sabo. May the moon be your guide._

"Farewell, Brook, and thank you."

Sabo waved his hand through the circle, and it immediately dispersed.

Then, he repeated the earlier process, only this time, the person that appeared in the circle was his little brother.

 _Sabo!_ Luffy looked surprised.

"Hi, Luffy." Sabo greeted warmly. "How are things?"

Luffy gave his brother a big thumbs up.

"Zoro and Sanji haven't killed each other yet?"

 _Nope!_ Luffy tilted his head to the side. _But Koala said Zoro's cleaning out the arena bar's stock—so_

"I'm not paying for his alcohol." The older brother reflexively answered before he caught himself.

 _Koala said Shyarly's taking Zoro hostage until he clears his tab._

The blonde nodded understandingly. The owner of the sole bar located within the Arena's premises, Madame Shyarly was a rather unorthodox woman; she was kind, but when it involved her establishment, she was calculative and ruthless. And knowing Zoro, he would've drunk down to his last penny and then even after that. To be honest, this situation has happened so many times that it had become a sort of routine for Shyarly herself. Let Zoro drink, take his money, let him drink more, hold him hostage and make him work until his tab is clear, release Zoro. She'd even joked once that maybe she should just let Zoro drink more so she could extol him to work more often. As far as Sabo was aware, these kinds of situations had been happening ever since Zoro learned to drink. Or so he'd heard from Koala.

"And Sanji?"

 _Thatch said his old man is keeping him hostage in the kitchen._

Sabo sweatdropped. What was it with those two and being held hostage?

"What about you?"

Luffy's face scrunched up as he swung from side to side. _I'm bored. Sanji's cooking, Zoro's training,.. working… whatever, Koala and everyone else is busy preparing for the tournament. And the old moustache guy is still unconscious._

Sabo smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Luffy. I know you wanted to come, but at least one of us had to stay with the king, just in case."

 _Yeah, yeah, I know. So, did you find anything?_

"We reached Goa today…"

…

By the time Sabo cut off the connection to Luffy, an hour or two had already passed since he came onto the roof.

Halfway through his conversation with his little brother, Sabo had moved across the roof to the surrounding parapets, sitting down on the edge and leaving his legs dangling in mid-air.

The mansion was a tall building located on a hill, and from his seat, the blonde had an almost full view of the city.

"Never thought I would be back here again." Sabo leaned back on his hands. "Now this brings back a lot of memories."

He sat there for perhaps a quarter of an hour, letting the cold wind clear his mind before he headed back down.

Entering as noiselessly as he went, the mercenary slipped back in. Neither Marco nor Doma woke, fast asleep by the once again dying embers.

* * *

Shortly after daybreak, the three men resumed their trek towards Marineford, leaving from the Northern Gates as opposed to the Southern Gates which they had came through the previous day. They had broke camp earlier, hoping to be able to make good time on the remaining trip before the sun fully rose. Since yesterday, midday had found the temperature shifting from comfortable to unbearably scorching, and they were forced to find somewhere to hide from the sun lest they dry up.

Finding shade was near impossible, since all the trees and vegetation had died, leaving only barren trunks or the occasional stump that hardly did anything to shield the three men and provide respite.

They had gotten lucky the previous day, stumbling upon a large outcropping of rock just before the sun rose to its highest. Today, however, it seemed their luck had been depleted.

"How much… farther… is it…?" Doma panted as he wiped the sweat off his brows. "If we don't… get there… soon… I'm… going to melt…"

Sabo retorted, though it was weak due to the suffocating heat. "You and me both. And his highness. I can't do anything about it, unfortunately."

"Don't you have… some kind… of magic… for this…?" Marco wheezed. His hair that used to defy gravity was now matted down by the sweat that dripped off him like rain. It looked odd and under normal circumstances it would be funny, but Sabo couldn't find the energy to laugh. He was burning through what was left just breathing in this heat.

"If I did…" Sabo started swaying a bit. "I'd have used it…" _Never in my life have I missed having trees so much,_ he thought.

The mercenary vaguely registered his foot connecting with something solid, but his mind was clouded with fatigue and he couldn't think straight, so the blonde dismissed it as his imagination and trudged forward.

"SABO!"

At least, he tried to.

"What the…!" Sabo spat out a clump of dirt, now wide awake.

He turned around to see what he had tripped on.

A figure was sprawled across their path, and a quick glance around revealed another three spread out haphazardly several feet away.

Doma had kneeled next to the figure, deftly flipping them around to ascertain their condition while Marco helped Sabo up.

"I really need to learn those spells…" The mercenary muttered as he dusted off his coat.

"Are you okay?" Marco inquired.

Sabo waved away his concerns. "I'm fine, thank you. It's nothing that hasn't happened before."

Marco stared with raised brows. "You trip over people a lot?"

"Nah, that's Luffy. I usually only trip over him or Zoro. Or roof tiles." He swore they had it in for him. There was always a loose tile somewhere, just waiting for him to step on them and lose his footing.

"That's no better."

"I don't trip over strangers if that's what concerns you."

"You just did." Marco deadpanned.

"Hmm, accidents do happen."

"Sabo!" Doma suddenly called out, interrupting their banter. "Come here for a second, will you?"

The knight held up something which he had apparently found on the man. "Do you recognise this?" He asked, showing a small insignia with the letters 'KR' carved on it.

Sabo groaned. "Of all the people we could've run into..."

"I take it you recognize it?"

"Of course, I do," The mercenary huffed. "No mercenary wouldn't know about these idiots. No one who keeps in contact with the business grapevine anyway."

"And?" The prince probed.

"We should just leave them and be on our way?"

Marco rolled his eyes. "Who are they?"

"The Krieg Raiders. Ever heard of 'em?"

Doma pulled a face. "I have."

"Sounds familiar."

Sabo sighed and explained. The Krieg Raiders were one of the larger active mercenary groups in the land, led by a man who called himself 'Don Krieg' and had an ego as big as his band. The KR called themselves mercenaries, but their actions resembled more those of bandits. They mostly operated on the western side of the Red Mountains, where Morsky and the Whitebeard Empire were located.

"So they're famous?"

"If by famous you mean most everyone knows about how they blindly challenged Dracule Mihawk and got their hinds handed to them in an instant…" Doma flatly replied.

"Then yes, they're famous." Sabo finished.

"Wait…I remember now." Marco finally connected the dots. No wonder the name sounded familiar. That fight, if it could even be called as such, destroyed a good portion of the plains near the southern border. Most of them were officially Mihawk's handiwork, but the royal family secretly blamed the Krieg Raiders—if their leader hadn't stupidly tried to take on the famous Wandering Swordsman, the plains wouldn't have been destroyed at all.

Sabo nonchalantly nodded. "Anyway, are they dead?" He asked, gesturing at the man Doma was kneeling next to.

Doma replied negative. "They're just unconscious. I reckon they might've passed out from the heat. They seem overly dehydrated."

"Figures only this group of imbeciles would dare to venture into a country that fell to ruin from plague." Sabo scoffed, before he flinched, and his eyes widened in realisation. He rushed towards the unconscious men.

With concise motions, he swept through the four men, checking each briefly before moving on to the next. His actions were baffling to his two companions, but they remained silent nonetheless.

"Is something wrong, Sabo?" The crown prince asked when the mercenary finally stepped away.

Sabo looked away. "…they can't be saved."

"Why?" They were just dehydrated, right? It was nothing some water couldn't fix, despite the distinct lack thereof in their immediate surroundings.

There was slight pause of hesitance.

"Sabo," Marco pressed. "Don't you think it's about time you let us in on whatever secret it is you're keeping?"

The mercenary merely remained silent.

"You know this doesn't concern only you. Me and Doma have a right to know what we're getting ourselves into. What we **have** been getting ourselves into."

Sabo sighed. "I know, and I plan to," He pulled his cloak further over his head.

"But?" Doma prodded.

"Can we at least get out of the sun before you start interrogating me?"

At that moment, Marco and Doma finally realised how sweaty they were and how unbearably hot it had become now that the sun had risen to its highest point in the day.

* * *

Fortunately for the three men, after walking for another half an hour or so, they came across a small rundown cottage not too far from the road.

Dragging the four members of the Krieg Raiders which—as Sabo complained about within the privacy of his mind—Marco absolutely insisted on bringing along, they entered the cottage with a silent prayer to whoever lived in the house previously.

Sabo dropped the two he was lugging somewhere next to the door, much to Marco's exasperation.

"Can it, your Highness." Sabo refuted in annoyance. "They're mercenaries. They sleep on the floor all the time."

"They're wounded." Marco protested, but was met immediately by Sabo's nonchalant answer.

"They'll be dead soon anyway." The mercenary commented, shrugging off his pack onto the floor and stirring up a small cloud of dust.

The crown prince snarled at the other's coldness. "You don't know that."

"Oh, don't I?"

Sabo pulled a chair from the table nearby and plopped down on it. "If you'd quit your nagging and sit down, I'll tell you what you want to know but if you don't want to," he shrugged. "I'm fine with it as well."

Marco stared at the other blonde. For just a split second, an instance so short that the prince almost missed it, Sabo's mask had cracked just the tiniest bit.

The slightly aloof, unperturbed mask that Marco had seen remain steadfast for as long as he had known him, which in all honesty, wasn't all that long.

He didn't call Sabo out on it however, and simply sat down in another chair while Doma leaned against the nearby wall, arms crossed over his chest.

Before Marco could start on the questions that he had accumulated over the week, Sabo looked directly at him. "Be careful what you ask, your Highness." The mercenary warned in a low voice. "Some things are better left unsaid, I'm sure you know this."

Marco nodded. "My first question: why did you say they couldn't be saved?" The prince cocked his head towards the unconscious mercenaries.

"Because they can't." Sabo glanced at said mercenaries. "They've been in Morsky far too long. And if I had to say, most of their time was probably spent looting properties."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Doma wondered.

"Everything. It's a long story."

Marco shrugged. "We have time."

* * *

By the end of what Sabo would later dub the 'Royal Interrogation', he was slouched against the back of his chair, watching in wicked amusement as his two companions huddled together, attempting to sort out the information they had just gleaned from him.

True to his word, the mercenary had answered every question they had, but whether the answer he gave revealed anything depended entirely on the mercenary's willingness to disclose it. The pleasure of technicalities.

His fellow mercenaries' well-being had been the first question out of the prince's mouth, not that Sabo could say that it was surprising. The crown prince had always been known to be a caring person, despite his otherwise stern demeanour. The same went for the other members of the royal family as well.

Sabo's gaze fell to the mercenaries on the other side of the room. They had stirred a little during the 'interrogation' but hadn't shown any signs of waking up. At this point, Sabo was inclined to believe that they wouldn't ever.

Just as he had told Marco and Doma.

They were in too deep to save anymore.

Which, of course, brought on the onslaught of questions that eventually dragged the truth out.

 _"Morsky wasn't plagued."_ Sabo had said. _"It was killed."_

And it was the truth. One he and Luffy had suspected when the country fell and he had now affirmed, but also one that he knew sounded absurd to anyone not versed with magic and its ways.

 _Marco and Doma sent him identical stares of incomprehension._

 _Sabo sighed. "Did you really think a **plague** , of all things, could've destroyed a country the way Morsky was?" He directed the question at the two dumbfounded Whitebeardians._

 _"It's completely impossible." The mercenary continued without waiting for an answer. He likely hadn't been expecting one. "No plague could have left absolutely no survivors."_

 _"Then… what?"_

 _Sabo let his head fall, his gaze dropping to the wooden floor._

 _"A curse, Marco." He said in a low voice. "A curse, like the one afflicting your father, but on a larger scale. A much, **much** larger scale."_

 _He paused to take a breath. "Morsky was **killed** by this curse, and now there are residuals of the curse lingering here in this dead land. Those men," Sabo didn't present a name, but there was no doubt who he was referring to. "Have been affected by the curse, and just like every other living creature that have mistakenly ventured into this land, they have started to decay…"_

 _He didn't have to finish that sentence for Marco and Doma to know what was going to happen._

 _"And us?" Doma asked slowly, his fists white with the force he was clenching them. "We've been here for almost a week now." The knight glared at the mercenary, his hand going to the sword at his side._

 _Sabo heard the distinctive sound of a sword being drawn and looked up, staring coldly at the knight._

 _"Do you realise what you've done?" Doma snarled, shaking off Marco's hand that was gripping his shoulder to calm him down and took a step forward. "You've put the crown prince in grave danger and you're only telling us about it NOW?! And don't roll your eyes!" The last part was angrily tacked on when Sabo rolled his eyes at the knight's accusations._

 _"I do hope not all your subordinates are as… petulant as this one, Prince Marco." Sabo remarked. "Some others may easily take offence…"_

 _The mercenary stood up to his full height, which was just slightly taller than the knight, who had warily turned his blade to the blonde in front of him._

 _Sabo pushed the sword away easily, much to Doma's chagrin._

 _"Doma, put your sword away," Marco said warningly. "Sabo obviously knows very well the dangers of this place, yet he still brought us here. I think it's fair to say that he has some method to keep us safe," The prince glanced at the other blonde. "Or so I hope."_

 _Sabo smirked. "Your faith in me is heart-warming, your Highness."_

 _"Glad to hear," Marco retorted sarcastically._

 _"Anyway, regarding the curse and its residual effects, I'm immune to it unless, for any reason, it's directed specifically at me. You two, on the other hand, are as susceptible to it as anyone else." He paused. "Except Luffy." He added as an afterthought._

 _"You **do** have a way to prevent us from being affected, right?" Marco asked, brows furrowed together cautiously. "How do you kill a land in the first place, anyway? It's not exactly a living being…?"_

 _"Ah, but that's where you're mistaken, and no, I won't explain this, it's rather complicated. As for your former question..."_

 _Sabo grinned, a stark contrast from his previously steely expression, and with a slight of his hand, produced a vial that was half-filled with crimson liquid which looked suspiciously like…_

 _"Is that…blood?" The prince stared at the vial, his voice tight with apprehension. There were many other things that it could be as well, but really, there wasn't anything that could quite match that particular shade of red..._

 _"Yep." Sabo replied with enough joviality in his voice to cause whiplash._

 _Marco couldn't tear his eyes away. "…Dare I ask what that blood is for and where it came from?"_

 _"Take a guess?"_

 _"Sabo."_

 _"Spoilsport." Sabo clicked his tongue and pocketed the vial. "Do you remember what me and Luffy did, before we left the capital?"_

 _Marco blinked. What Sabo and Luffy did before Sabo and Marco left?_

 _Since Sabo had asked him, Marco assumed it was something the brothers had done in his presence and that he would be aware of… recollections of the day they discovered their father was under a curse flashed by in Marco's mind, finally stopping at a certain point as the prince realised what the mercenary was talking about._

 _"You drew something around Pops' bed, and Luffy… he- he fed blood to Pops…" Marco trailed off. "Don't tell me…!"_

 _Sabo's mouth quirked up in a smirk. "It's exactly what you think, your Highness."_

 _Another round of explanations then led to the present, where Marco and Doma were standing together and talking in low voices, processing everything they had just learned._

"How exactly did you make us take the blood again?" A sudden question from Doma jerked Sabo out of his thoughts, and blue eyes flickered back towards his two companions.

"I simply slipped it into your food while you weren't looking." Sabo shrugged. "For a captain of the border guard and the crown prince, you two are surprisingly inattentive at times. Rather dangerous, don't you think? For all you know, I could've poisoned it instead and neither of you would be the wiser."

It had been easy. Too easy, really. Sabo idly wondered what would've become of the duo if the mercenary had had half a heart to assassinate them. They would put up a fight for sure, but Sabo was confident that if he wanted to, even the both of them combined would not be able to match him.

"And you couldn't have mentioned this, like, I don't know, **before** we crossed the border?" Marco frowned at the mercenary, the edge of his eye twitching in annoyance. "It would've saved you the trouble." _And us the shock._

"Ahh, yes." Sabo nodded in agreement. "But that would have taken the fun out of it, no? It's not everyday I get the chance to 'drug' the crown prince of the Whitebeard Empire and Captain Doma Bohem of the Lyrid Knights."

Marco and Doma stared at Sabo, speechless.

"…I really shouldn't commend you for that sentence that's liable for treason, but you're the first person I've met who's actually dared to say something like that to my face, so I will." The prince deadpanned, fixing Sabo with a dry smirk. "You, my friend, have some serious guts."

"And coming from him, that means a lot, considering half the family is… less than sane most of the time." Doma added unhelpfully.

Sabo bowed exaggeratedly. "Why, thank you for those kind words, your Highness." He flipped the top hat high into the air, letting it fall directly onto his blond curls. "I will certainly treasure them until the end of my days."

Pushing the brim up slightly, Sabo smirked up at the unamused duo.

"Anyway," Marco stressed the word, drawing attention back to him. "Back to the matter at hand: what are we going to do about these four?"

"We leave them and be on our merry way." Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Sabo answered. "I explained the situation to you already, didn't I? They're not going to survive, not even if I use Luffy's blood. Do you guys really want to bring along **four dead weights**?"

Neither Marco nor Doma had the chance to respond before a small, almost inaudible voice reached their ears and drew their attention.

"P-please…" One of the Krieg Raiders pleaded weakly, his eyes opened just a crack. "That m-monster… kill us…"

The man's words came out in a warbled mess. Added to the fact that he had not much strength to speak, it was near impossible to tell what he was saying. For normal people, that is. Sabo was another story.

The mercenary leader's hearing was sharper than most, and he easily picked out the few distinguishable words from everything else.

Sabo was by the man's side in the blink of an eye, pulling him up to lean against the wall in a sitting position. "Who are you talking about?" He asked, despite not knowing if the man was aware enough to understand his question.

Doma handed him one of their spare waterskins, and Sabo held it up to the man's lips to help him drink.

"Monster… kill… run…" The man mumbled as he instinctively drank the offered liquid, a thin trickle of water escaping from his mouth. "Monster… kill… run…"

Sabo retracted his hand and gave the skin back to Doma. "He doesn't appear to be conscious." The mercenary observed. "If anything, it's more like he's sleep-talking."

"Do those words make any sense to you?" Marco asked. He too, had heard the man's mumbling, but without any context, he could make neither head nor tail of those three words. "They certainly don't to me."

* * *

Fire washed over the cold, stone ground, raising the temperature in the cavern to intense heights. The heat didn't last long, the flames dissipating as quickly as they appeared.

"Heh. Much better."

In the middle of the cavern, a large man clad in flashy, golden armour trembled at the cruelty that laced those words. "Y-you, you monster…!" He gritted out from where he lay on the ground, glaring at something hidden in the shadows of the cavern.

A chuckle sounded, followed by the distinct rattling of chains. "That I am."

"You'll pay for this!" The man bellowed, though it quickly turned into a scream when an unseen force ground the man into the cavern floor, further shattering the armour.

The voice hummed thoughtfully. "How about… no?" It laughed, the sound echoing within the cave ominously. "Did you think I'd let you go that easily, human?"

The man pushed himself onto his elbows, ignoring the pool of blood that had accumulated from a gaping wound on his abdomen. "Who are you?"

"Good question," The voice sounded almost amused. "Who am I?"

The previous force returned, crushing the man back to the ground. "Why would I tell you?"

The man coughed, nearly choking on his own spit. In a split decision of desperation, the man called out to the hidden entity, offering all the fortunes he could give that was available under the sun. At that, the voice sneered with barely concealed contempt.

"What about my freedom and your life?"

No answer was forthcoming.

"You humans are all cowards. Weak trash rotten to the core."

The man's eyes widened, and he started scratching at his neck. As the seconds ticked by, the shade of purple that had appeared at his neck started creeping up, tinting the man's face with its ominous colour as well. The hands that had been scrabbling at the unseen force gradually lost their strength as well, falling lifelessly to the man's side as his struggling died down.

"Your ashes will make for some nice aliments."

And he closed his eyes for eternity.

* * *

 _ **Read and eh, drop a review if you can? Hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_


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